Moonlight: The Missing Chapters!
by The Neverending Meep
Summary: There are two sides to every coin. Find out what happens to the other main characters when Blake's not around...
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

Just a quick intro explaining myself here.

Basically, this is an offshoot of the original 'Moonlight' series that focuses on the parts of the story that left people wondering. Thanks to WildCroconaw for the great idea!

There are at least five confirmed sub-chapters, including:

Chapter 5.5: Fee at work - Find out how Fee reacts to meeting Blake!

Chapter 15.5: Hailey's Travels - Remember how Hailey went off to 'explore' the Ruins of Alph? Well, here's what happened!

Chapter 16.5: Fee at the hospital- Fee finds out the bad news. Enough said, really...

Chapter 17.5: Copper at PokeX - Blake saw Copper riding a Swanna on chapter 22, but we never actually saw her **catch** one now, did we? Here's where it happens!

Chapter 30.5: ?

You'll have to find out yourself for the last one! =D

Hope you guys enjoy reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them!


	2. Fee At Work

**Fee at work**

"Something wrong, Felicity?" Arthur asked concernedly, "You turn up late, and you're barely awake. This isn't like you..."

"O-oh, I'm f-f-fine..." Fee replied sleepily, stifling down a mighty yawn, "I've just be-en up all night..."

"Ahhh, OK then..." Arthur remarked, sounding strangely empathic, "Just take things slowly, so you don't screw up, and don't let Edith find out, OK?"

"Okeydokey..." Fee yawned, managing a weak giggle as she filled a bowl with pellets for a trainer's Butterfree, "There you go, honey... Eat up!"

"Freeh!" The Butterfree clicked, burying its face into the pellets with gusto. Fee smiled weakly at the Butterfree's evident delight, and rubbed her tired eyes before staggering back to her feet and approaching Arthur's counter.

"You sure you'll be OK, lass?" Arthur queried, "You can go for a sleep upstairs if you need it?"

"Aww, naah, I'll be fine..." Fee yawned, resting her head against her open palm, "Besides, I couldn't leave you alone. What if Mrs Jenkins brings her Granbull in again?"

Fee chuckled sleepily, and Arthur conceded with, "Ahh, fair point. That definitely _is_ a two person job"

"So..." he continued, "Mind if I ask _why_ you were up all night?"

"It's... It's silly" Fee replied dismissively, "You wouldn't believe it anyways..."

"Heh, try me" Arthur beckoned, "You'd be hard pressed to surprise me, lass!"

"Ohhhhk then... if you're sure..." Fee yawned, "I... umm..."

"_I met someone..."_

"Oh wow, really?" Arthur asked, amazed.

"I know, right?" Fee giggled weakly, "And that's not even the surprising part!"

Perking up at the prospect of this line of conversation, she continued with, "I was woken up at three-ish by Argy barking madly at something outside, so I threw some clothes on, grabbed a torch, and went out to see what was bothering him. Isn't that right, boy?"

Fee knelt down to stroke Argus the Houndour, who had just awoken from his sleep after hearing his name.

"I couldn't quite work out what Argy was worked up about..." Fee yawned, standing up again, "So I shone the torch around to try and shed some light on the situation when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move!"

"Heh, this wee tale is getting pretty interesting!" Arthur chuckled, "Need a coffee? That might help you wake up a bit..."

"Ohhh, yes please..." Fee mumbled appreciatively, "I'm runnin' on fumes here, heh"

"Righto! Be right back!" Arthur answered, backing into the kitchen behind him, "Keep on talking, lass! I can still hear you fine!"

"So yeah, Argy went and growled in the direction of that movement I saw..." Fee continued, calling to Arthur in the kitchen, "So I took the hint and walked out towards it, feeling more and more nervous by the moment. After all, it could've been anything, huh?"

"Ohh, definitely!" Arthur agreed, shakily walking two mugs of steaming hot coffee back into the main room.

"Ooh, thanks..." Fee sighed, receiving her coffee gratefully and blowing the steam away, "Y'know, I don't drink this stuff often. More of a hot chocolate kinda girl, y'know? But I'm that tired today, that..."

Yawning once again, she slowly raised the mug to her lips before taking a short draught of the energising liquid...

And shortly afterwards:

"Whoa!" she gasped, lowering the mug onto the counter again with a flourish, "That's the stuff!"

"Heh heh..." Arthur chuckled meekly, sitting down to watch the inevitable drama unfold "That did the trick"

"Yup! Sure did!" Fee exclaimed, bouncing excitedly, "So anyways, I slowly approached the cliff face outside my house, 'cause that's where Argy hinted at, y'know?"

Grabbing another bag of pellets and pouring some into a bowl for another trainer's Bidoof, she carried on.

"My torch started to flicker as I got nearer to the rock face, so I started hitting the damn thing, trying to make it go, and I saw someone's elbow sticking out of a little gap between the rocks, and I was like 'OMG! Who's there?!'!"

Arthur was absorbing Fee's every word, trying to suppress laughter all the while. Fee inhaled more coffee and continued.

"Eugh, yuck!" she grimaced, evidently disliking the taste, "So, the elbow disappeared behind the rock, but I knew where to look this time! Torch still flickering, I approached the little gap between the rocks to find a boy with an Eevee, of all things!"

Arthur's eyebrows furrowed pensively, and Fee carried on talking.

"So I found the guy, and he seemed to have absolutely NO idea what pokémon were, yet he was _holding_ one in his hands! And it wasn't an ordinary Eevee either!"

"Oh no?" Arthur queried, "What makes this wee Eevee so special?"

"You know how Eevee are normally a brownish colour?" Fee stated, stroking the Bidoof she had just fed, "Well this one was SILVER! I'm not even kidding! A bright, gleaming, silvery blue, just like the colour of the moon!"

"...Really?" Arthur hesitated, eyes widening, "Could it really be a-"

"And that's _still_ not the most amazing part!" Fee exclaimed, throwing her arms out to illustrate the magnitude of this situation, "I eventually persuaded him to come inside, because he was convinced that all people were bad, for some reason. I fixed up his Eevee and fed it while he got a shower. The poor thing had a nasty cut on its leg! Anyways, I went in to the bathroom to give him some of my dad's old clothes to wear, 'cause his were all raggedy, y'know? Turned out the guy had been living in a _cave!"_

"A cave?" Arthur questions, shocked, "Is _that_ the surprise?"

"Haha, nope!" Fee giggled, moving on from the Bidoof to feed a mercifully patient Wynaut. "I tried not to look, 'cause he'd just got out of the shower, but he said it was OK, 'cause he was wearing a towel on his lower half. So I ended up looking, and noticed the 85 million bruises on his body, which he blamed the cave on, along with... *giggle*..."

"Along with... what?" Arthur dared, building a conclusion in his mind.

"...his body" Fee exhaled, "I mean, _wow._ The guy had one of those builds that just makes a girl _melt!"_

"He had muscle tone, but it wasn't, like, over the top, and he was still thin enough to be an athletic... oh _yeah_..."

"Don't tell me _that's_ the surprise!" Arthur laughed nervously "I haven't seen a young man's body in quite some time, lass, but I still know what they look like!"

"Nooo, that wasn't it!" Fee giggled, petting the Wynaut, whose tail rose appreciatively, "I'm getting there!"

"Ohhhhk then!" Arthur chirped, "Phew! This is becoming quite the story!"

"Anyways, I managed to blame his bruises for my staring at him, so I left him to get changed, and made us both some hot chocolate..." Fee continued, walking back to the counter, "Then we sat down in the lounge to talk. After all, he had a fair bit of explaining to do. Sadly he was wearing baggy clothes to hide his figure, but that drew my attention to something else; his eyes..."

"His... eyes?" Arthur hesitated

"Heh, yeah..." Fee sighed, which escalated into a yawn, "Oops, looks like the coffee's wearing off..."

"Need another?" Arthur suggested, carefully picking up her empty mug.

"Naah, I'll be fine..." Fee yawned again, "Anyways, these eyes. They're like green, but then they're _blue_, and then they're _grey!_ I've _never_ seen eyes like that before... they were so... _nice..._"

Arthur waved his hand in front of Fee, whose eyes had misted over, indicating that she was somewhere very special right now.

"So ANYway!" Fee gasped, snapping out of her daze, "We sat on the couch, and I tried my best to keep eye contact while I explained to him about pokémon and stuff, and he filled in the details about why he was in my garden at three in the morning. Turns out he just needed to feed his poor Eevee, who hadn't eaten in at least the two days since he found unconscious it by a river, and the Aspear berries growing in my garden were the only things it had shown any interest in. We kept on talking, and then talked some more, and next thing I knew, the sun was rising!"

"Heh, sounds like you had quite a night..." Arthur ventured, "And this surprise?"

"Aww, yeah..." Fee sighed contentedly, "He explained to me that he'd be shunned from his home country due to a 'curse' that had plagued him all his life. I asked him if it was dangerous, and he said it wasn't, so I was like 'Well that's good enough for me!', and gave him a hug. I made sure it was a right-shoulder hug, 'cause you know how they're so much more special than left-shoulder hugs?

"Umm... can't say I do, lass!" Arthur laughed, somewhat confused.

"Oh, r-r-really?" Fee replied, stifling down another yawn, "You should try it sometime. It's more special 'cause your hearts align..."

"Heh, I'll take your word for it, Felicity!" Arthur remarked, "Do carry on!"

"Heh, much obliged" Fee chuckled sleepily, "Yeah, he was reluctant at first. I'm guessing hugs were a new experience for the guy. But eventually, he stretched his arms across my back, and..."

"_and the sparks flew..."_

"My heart was beating so fast I thought it was gonna break out of my chest..." Fee yawned lovingly, looking out of the window into the late afternoon sky, "That hug was like nothing I'd ever experienced before..."

"...Wow" Arthur replied quietly, "Must've been fairly special..."

"I'll say..." Fee yawned, "And that... that was why I was up all night. I... I really think... I've finally found the right one, Arthur..."

"Oh my!" Arthur gasped, stunned "Should I... take that as your two weeks' notice?" he added with a chuckle.

"Wha? Oh nooo, silly!" Fee giggled sleepily, "I need to find out if he's keen on it first. Can't start a journey with someone who isn't interested, heh"

"Ahh, very true..." Arthur agreed, "Well, you got me, Felicity. That was quite the surprise!"

"Surprise...?" Fee questioned slowly, "Ohh noo, that wasn't it!"

"It wasn't?" Arthur remarked, "...Oh. What is this surprise, then?"

"You'll need to see if to believe it, trust me..." Fee chuckled semi-consciously, "I'll see if I can bring him round on Saturday"

"Fair enough!" Arthur chirped, "If he's made you this happy, then I'd be more than willing to meet the young feller!"

"Sounds g-g-grreat!" Fee exclaimed, stretching and failing to suppress another yawn, "Well, I'd better get going. Seeya tomorrow, Arthur!"

"Bye lass! Take care!" Arthur replied enthusiastically before waving gently and turning to walk back into the kitchen behind him.

"C'mon Argy..." Fee yawned, rousing the little Houndour,

"_Home time!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**This is the first of six chapters in the 'Missing chapters' miniseries. **

**Hope you enjoyed reading this. I'm not very good at writing feminine pieces. xD**


	3. Hailey's Travels

**Hailey's Travels**

"Argh, what an idiot!" Hailey raged, stomping down the bridge and towards Violet City, "Thinking _one_ pokémon could defeat a full team of _six_?!"

Clearly Hailey was still upset over the little 'disagreement' she'd had with Blake.

"Putting all your love and attention into one pokémon..." she scoffed, "I treat my pokémon just fine! Isn't that right, Catherine?"

She released her pokémon from its capsule and revealed; a Glameow.

"I treat you right, don't, don't I?" Hailey asked Catherine the Glameow, kneeling down to console her. Catherine looked away dismissively, licking her paw with a strict nonchalance.

"Ohhhk... bad example" Hailey muttered to herself, beckoning her Glameow to follow her northwards. Catherine followed instructions, but not after engaging in a long, exaggerated stretch.

"But I guess I have only just got you..." Hailey reasoned, stroking Catherine gently, who happily received the attention, "And your trainer was all too happy to trade you away for my Clefairy, Faye, so I guess you're just not used to me yet..."

Catherine the Glameow rolled her eyes at Hailey, and slowly followed her further north, prancing around playfully. The pair made an immense effort to ignore the overenthusiastic trainers along the route, eventually coming to a stop at a fork in the road.

"Let's see..." Hailey mused, examining the signposts thoroughly, "Don't wanna go to Violet City... and the other one says 'Ruins of Alph'! Awesome!"

"C'mon Catherine!" she continued, skipping towards the indicated location, her Glameow lazily following behind her.

"And no Blake in sight!" she giggled, looking around for signs of other people, "Hah! That'll show him that six pokémon are better than one!"

And through the gates she strolled, Catherine swaggering after her.

"Welcome to the Ruins of Alph!" a travel guide greeted her cheerfully, "and how may I be of service to you, young lady?"

"Ohh, I'm just looking around, thanks" Hailey answered, beckoning Catherine to follow her, who begrudgingly complied.

"Please remember to keep your pokémon in their poke balls at all times!" The travel guide instructed, "Oh, and be sure to try out the sliding panel puzzles! They're a blast!"

"Will do!" Hailey called back, with a thumbs up to show appreciation, "Sorry Catherine. You heard the lady..."

Catherine meowed ambivalently, and Hailey returned her Glameow to her capsule in a bright flash of crimson.

"She just doesn't know me yet, that's all..." she reassured herself, stowing Catherine's poke ball back in her bag, along with the other five.

"Now, let's check out these puzzle things..." Hailey murmured, following the signposts to one of the indicated buildings.

"Eww, it's so dark inside..." she sighed, involuntarily shivering. However, set in her ways, she gulped, and put one foot in front of the other, ignoring her insecurities to enter the little stone hut.

"Man I hate dark..." she grumbled, noticing that the building's interior was just as dark as she'd envisioned, "Why'd no one tell me it'd be all dark and cavey?"

And just as she said that, there was a flash of light from nowhere, and the place was illuminated!

"Eyah?!" Hailey shrieked, reacting poorly to the sudden change and dislodging a lot of dust from the ceiling with her insanely loud screech, "...whew! Now the place isn't half as bad!"

Hailey walked around the inside of the complex, investigating the shapes on the walls.

"What're these cute little things?" She mumbled, wiping away the dust that had accumulated on the wall, "Are they... pokémon? You can almost read them..."

Squinting with concentration, Hailey studied the letters on the walls, trying to make some sense of them.

"Let's see... that looks like an E... and there's an A..." she mumbled, "Ess...cay...peh. Escape?"

"Wow, t-that's pretty sinister..." she laughed nervously, backing into a stone pedestal and screeching in terror at it.

"Wah!" she cried, loosing more dust, and spinning around to confront the pedestal, "Ohh, this must be that panel thing the lady was talking about! ... eheh..."

Chuckling with belated mirth, Hailey approached the front of the pedestal to inspect it further. There were sixteen stone panels in all, to be fit into a grid.

"Doesn't look too difficult" she surmised, confidently sliding the little stone tablets around to try and make a picture.

"Let's see... that's a corner, and that goes there, uh huh..." she murmured in an attempt to solve the puzzle, butchering it completely.

"Hmm..." she mused, raising a pensive hand to her chin and stroking it, "Naah, that can't be right..."

Starting again, she shuffled the panels around once more, trying to decipher its mystery.

"Ohhhk... that's a claw... and there's an... eye?" she queried, examining one tablet and squinting at it, "Ooh, and there's a shell! Yay!" Excitement building, Hailey slowly pieced the puzzle together, eventually constructing:

"Ooo! It's a Kabuto! I've seen one of those in a museum!" she cried, "Tee hee, that was-"

But Hailey's celebrations were cut short, for next thing she knew, the ground was shaking beneath her!

"What the...?" she mumbled, now concerned. This was followed by a "Waaaaaaaah!" as the floor fell away completely, sending her tumbling down to the floor below!"

* * *

><p>"AaaaaaaaaOW!" she groaned, landing on solid concrete with a heavy thump, "Stupid floor! Fall away on me why donch-"<p>

But the gravity of her situation was suddenly illuminated to her; she was lost, in a dark, dusty dungeon, ALONE!

"Eep!" she yelped, leaping to her feet and starting to panic, "H-Hello?"

Her voice echoed through the dark tunnels, carrying forever, and then a bit longer. Complete solitude...

"HELLO?" She yelled, shaking the walls with her ridiculously powerful voice. But as rocks were dislodged from the surroundings, some of which only narrowly missed her, she decided against shouting.

"M-Maybe I sh-shouldn't do that..." she shivered, "C-c'mon out, Owlivia. You can see a lot better than I can in this... d-dark"

She fumbled in her bag for a poke ball, and released its captive.

"Comm-beeee!" it cried, its shrill voice also echoing through the dark hallways.

"Beatrice?" Hailey hesitated, "Why're you... oh, you'll do. Long as I've got _someone_ to keep me company..."

She rummaged through her bag again, and this time extracted a cell phone.

"Just so we have _some_ idea of where we're going..." she gulped, flipping her phone open so that it lit up, illuminating a small area in front of her.

"Better than nothing..." she muttered, shakily walking forwards, "C'mon Beatrice. Let's find a way out, huh?"

"Combee!" her pokémon, Beatrice the Combee, complied, zooming up to her and taking the lead, ready to protect her trainer at a moment's notice.

"Atta girl..." Hailey whispered, unnerved by the strange whirring noises she could hear throughout the seemingly endless tunnels, "M-Maybe some music'll calm me down..."

Pushing buttons on her phone, she navigated her way to the radio stations, which yielded... more of the strange whirring noises.

"W-what the?" she stammered, hitting the 'CANCEL' button on her phone to navigate away from the strange radio noises again, only to walk into:

"Whah!?" she screamed, almost dropping her phone in fright, "T-The hell is that?!"

The thing floated closer, making the same whistling noises that had been tormenting her since entering this bizarre place. It wasn't alone either. Several others had in fact circled around her, seemingly interested in this strange invader!

"Eagh!" Hailey screeched, "OK Beatrice, get rid of these things! Bug Bite!"

"Commmm..." Beatrice complied, zooming past her and swiftly biting into each of them in turn, slowly but surely repelling the hordes!

"Ohh, good girl, Beatrice..." Hailey sighed, clutching her chest, "Man, that was weird! The radio must've attracted them or something..."

"Beeeee..." Beatrice buzzed affectionately, fluttering gently against Hailey's face to show her gratitude.

"Hopefully this'll all be over soon..." she sighed, rubbing her sore hip before progressing onwards. It didn't take long for her to find something else to complain about.

"Oh, no no no!" she gasped, pleading desperately to her phone, "Don't run out!"

'LOW... BATTERY' flashed up on the screen before it died completely, enveloping her in darkness once again.

"Ohhh..." she whined sadly, falling to her knees, "Great! What _else_ can go wrong?"

And her question was answered almost instantly. The silence was punctuated by an angry growling noise. However, this noise didn't come from a pokémon.

"Hungry..." Hailey mumbled, pressing her free hand against her stomach to try and stifle the growl, "That'll teach me for asking..."

"Beeee?" Beatrice the Combee sympathised, fluttering near her.

"I'll... I'll be OK, Beatrice..." Hailey sighed, blindly reaching out to try and stroke her, "Just... just gimme a sec, eh?"

"Bee!?" Beatrice cried, before sniffing a couple of times, then zooming off into the distance!"

"W-w-wait!" Hailey gasped, "Don't... leave me here!"

But Beatrice the Combee did not return...

"Ohh man..." Hailey sniffed, "Talk about a bad day!"

Sighing dejectedly, she mumbled, "Maybe... maybe I am a bad trainer... Catherine doesn't like me, and Beatrice just ran away... Maybe Blake was right. Maybe I'm not dedicating enough time to each of them..."

And Hailey was left in silence.

* * *

><p>"Ohh, the irony..." she muttered sadly after a few more minutes, devoid of hope, "I come here to look for pokémon, only the get lost, and tormented by the same pokémon..."<p>

But just as her resolve started to wane, there was a triumphant noise in the distance!

"Combeeee!"

"...Beatrice?" Hailey muttered weakly, "Oh, you came back! Aww, thank youuuuuu!"

She reached forwards to try and hug the little bee, but her nose picked up on the tangy scent that Beatrice brought with her.

"Hmm? What's that smell..." she mumbled, sniffing, "...Honey?"

"Beee!" Beatrice hummed, buzzing near Hailey's face to offer her the sticky treat.

"Aww, you're so sweet..." Hailey cooed, ignoring her groan inducing pun and finally finding Beatrice in the dark to pat her atop her heads, "But I... I can't eat that. It'll do a number on my blood sugar. Sorry, Beatrice..."

"Commmmm..." Beatrice hummed, evidently pleased with herself nonetheless.

"Hey, wait a sec..." Hailey murmured, staggering to her feet, "You found honey?"

"Bee?" Beatrice agreed, unsure of where she was going with this line of conversation.

"Honey means trees... and trees means outside!" Hailey cried, "Beatrice, can you take me to where you found this honey?"

"Beeee!" Beatrice hummed eagerly, and zoomed off, before doubling back, remembering that her owner couldn't see nearly as well as she.

"That's it now... slowly..." Hailey instructed, blindly following the sound of Beatrice's steady buzzing with her arms in front of her to feel for walls. Together, they navigated the inky darkness, ever so slowly creeping forwards until, at long last, Hailey saw daylight in the distance!

"Look, light!" she cried, eagerly stumbling towards the thin strip of illumination before triumphantly bursting out into the open!

"HAH!" she exclaimed. Loudly.

"Take THAT, cave!" she gasped, doubling over to catch her breath, "Whew... that was a close one..."

Beatrice the Combee emerged behind her, and the pair of them rejoiced.

"Ohh, you're such a good girl!" Hailey cried, hugging her little Combee excitedly, not noticing that the honey she'd collected had mysteriously disappeared, "Why, if it weren't for you, I'd be-"

But she was interrupted by another voice:

"Now, Shelgon, ATTACK!"

The voice was followed by a sharp crunching noise, and a small, beagle-like pokémon was sent flying in her direction!

"Smear...g!" it cried, landing painfully on the ground, which snapped the paintbrush it was holding.

"Aww, you poor thing!" Hailey gasped, kneeling down to assess the pokémon's health, "Why would anyone do that do such a cute pokémon!?"

"It's called training" the voice replied. Hailey looked up again to see a teenage male staring directly at her, arms folded. With his spiky brown hair, thousand yard stare, and even a uniform, Hailey could tell that he was one of those hardcore 'Ace' trainers that were seldom seen, forget heard.

"Umm... OK?" she mumbled, evidently displeased at the trainer's brutal 'training' style, "Mind if I catch this pokémon?"

"...sure..." the Ace trainer replied dismissively, waving her question away and turning back towards his training spot.

"Welcome to the family, umm... Leo" Hailey muttered to the beagle-like pokémon as it disappeared into a fresh capsule without even putting up a fight.

"Oh, and when you're done..." he added, not noticing that Hailey's newest capture was already on its way to the PC storage system, "...kindly leave. This is _my_ training spot"

"Whoa, hang on, buddy!" Hailey retorted, standing up once again, "You can't just _claim_ this bit of dirt for yourself! I have just as much right to be here as you do!"

"...is that so...?" the mystery trainer muttered silkily, stopping in his tracks. "Well..." he threatened, turning to face her, "What're you gonna do about it?"

"Hey hey, calm down, now!" Hailey quivered, "I don't wanna start a fight, I just-"

"Heh, too late!" the Ace exclaimed, "You've made your bed now! Come, Shelgon!"

A low, grunting noise could be heard in response, and an enormous, armoured tank of a pokémon stomped towards him.

"Wh-What the hell is that?" Hailey stammered, now highly nervous.

"Meet Shelgon, my pride and joy!" the Ace announced smugly, "I've raised her from an egg, and lemme tell ya, she's losing to no-one! _Especially_ not a self-righteous brat like you!"

Those words struck Hailey like a red hot poker, straight to the heart.

"Self... righteous... _**brat****!?**_" she muttered, and the Ace's callous face twisted into an evil smile as he read the all-consuming rage that was now burning within her.

"AAAAAAGH!" Hailey screeched, loud enough to knock the Ace off his feet, and scare a flock of Pidgey from a distant tree, "WHO are you to call me that?! I don't care how; you're payin' for what you said!"

"Hah, you think you can beat her?" The Ace scoffed arrogantly, pulling himself back to his feet again, "Tell you what. If you beat my Shelgon, I'll leave and _never_ come back. Sound good to you?"

But Hailey was beyond words now. With a single motion, she scooped her six occupied poke balls from her bag, and then dumped it on the floor with a soft thud.

"Let's get this over with..." she seethed, evidently furious, "C'mon Beatrice!"

Beatrice the Combee zoomed forwards, ready to attack, but the Ace was almost doubled over with laughter.

"Pfft, nicknames? Are you serious?" he snickered, "Pokémon don't need labels! All they need it to know how to fight, and win! Something I'll demonstrate here and now!"

"Argh, no wonder you feel the need to claim a crappy bit of land for you and only you!" Hailey roared, "Cause there's no way you AND your fat head could fit into a public place!"

"Heh, you're one to talk, stompin' out here all high and mighty!" the Ace retorted, "At least my fat head's on the ground, not up in the clouds like yours!"

"You just don't know when to shut the hell up!" Hailey bellowed, "Let's teach this punk a lesson, Beatrice!"

"Combeeee!" Beatrice buzzed, evidently unaware of just what she was getting herself into. With a sigh, the Ace trainer looked to his prized Shelgon, who patiently awaited orders.

"Ember..." he muttered nonchalantly, and Shelgon complied, firing a small ball of flames, which hit Beatrice dead on target, sending her crashing to the ground, toasted.

"Eagh!" Hailey cried, "Not even one attack!?"

"Hah! You thought your pitiful Combee would survive long enough to attack?" the Ace snickered, "Good luck with that!"

"Damn you..." Hailey growled, returning the fried Beatrice to her capsule, "Your turn, Celia!"

Her second poke ball was thrown, and out of it burst; a Seel.

"Seeeel!" she cried, clapping her fins together happily.

"Quick Celia! Ice Shard!" Hailey instructed, and Celia acted, freezing the moisture around her into sharp icicles, and then launching them at Shelgon!

The icicles pierced even Shelgon's thick carapace, causing noticeable damage, but not nearly enough to turn the tables in Hailey's favour.

"So you got an attack in..." the Ace coughed, "Enjoy that happy feeling while it lasts! Shelgon, Dragon Claw!"

Shelgon followed orders, lunging forwards and viciously slashing at Celia with painfully sharp claws. She was sent flying, hitting a tree with a heavy smack and falling unconscious instantly.

"Oh noooo...!" Hailey gasped, her heart in her throat, "Umm... Owlivia, your turn!"

Celia was returned to her poke ball, and replaced with Owlivia the Hoothoot, who was quick to suffer the same fate, followed by Lillian the Lotad and Catherine the Glameow, who luckily managed to strike with a speedy Sucker Punch before being incapacitated as well.

"Maybe you should give up now, while you've still got some dignity!" the Ace taunted, smirking as he watched the fainted Catherine disappear back into her poke ball.

"No way!" Hailey retorted, "Someone's gotta teach you some goddamn humility! C'mon Theodore! Make me proud!"

Theodore the Teddiursa sprang from his poke ball, raring to go. He licked his paws, and the crescent moon on his forehead glowed.

"Hah! _That's_ your trump card?" he jeered, doubled over with laughter once again, "What's it gonna do? _Lick _Shelgon to death?

"Oh, don't you worry..." Hailey threatened, seemingly confident once again, "This little one's FULL of surprises!"

"Uh huh, is that so...?" the Ace taunted, "OK, I'll humour you. Shelgon, give it an Ember! It _should_ survive that!"

Shelgon nodded, and fired another ball of Ember, which hit Theodore and bowled him over!

Flames licked Theodore's charred body, and all seemed lost...

"Hah, so much for a surprise!" the Ace cackled, "That one went down even easier than the rest!"

"Oh really?" Hailey taunted, "Cause it appears you've fallen into my trap!"

A soft gurgling noise permeated their shouting match, and Theodore staggered back to his feet!

Bruised, burned, and barely breathing, Theodore procured - seemingly from nowhere - a bizarre, red and white spherical fruit, and... ate it?

He slowly gulped the berry down, and mere seconds later, he emitted an aura of pure strength, as though it had just been given a huge boost!

"You ready, Theodore?" Hailey smirked, and Theodore nodded weakly in response.

"Good boy..." Hailey muttered. Standing firm, she pointed at the Shelgon, and yelled, "Now use Facade!"

With a high pitched cry, Theodore followed orders, charging at Shelgon and hitting it multiple times with powerful, open clawed slashes!

"Shelgon!" the Ace gasped, watching his armoured tank fall to the ground with a heavy crash, "Nooo, Shelgon!"

"Hah! Told you he's full of surprises!" Hailey cried triumphantly, "No Guts no glory, eh Theodore?"

But Theodore wasn't in a celebratory mood. Breathing laboured, and body exhausted, he collapsed to the floor, finally succumbing to the energy sapping burn.

"Waaah, Theodore!" Hailey screeched, crashing to the ground and consoling her fallen friend, "Ohh, you did so _well_..."

A tear slipped from her eye, and she wept, not even caring for the Ace in the background.

"I... I guess you were right, Blake..." she mumbled thickly, picking up the limp Theodore and cradling him in her arms.

"I've gotta say, I underestimated you, kid!" The Ace exclaimed, offering a hand to help her back to her feet, "Not just _anyone_ can take on my Shelgon and-"

But his 'praise' was stopped short, due to strange goings on with Shelgon...

Both trainers turned to watch the sight of Shelgon staggering back to her feet, before exploding in a column of light!

"Eyah!?" Hailey screamed, nearly dropping the exhausted Theodore. The Ace, however, reacted completely differently.

"Oh wow!" he cried, ecstatic, "It's _finally_ happening!"

The pair stood, transfixed, watching with shock and awe respectively as Shelgon's form began to change amidst the white!

"W-What's happening?" Hailey gasped, squinting to try and get a better look.

"She's... evolving" the Ace replied, even getting slightly emotional at the sight. Shelgon's tough outer shell cracked open, revealing two mighty wings, which were stretched out slowly, along with a muscular looking tail and fearsomely shaped head, the light eventually died down to reveal an intimidating, fully-fledged dragon!

"Salamence, finally!" the ace cried, running forwards to hug the beast, which responded by... purring?

"Umm..." Hailey mumbled, feeling out of place, "I guess I owe you some money, huh..?"

Returning Theodore to his poke ball, she picked her bag up from the ground and waded into it, searching for her purse.

"Hey, don't worry about it!" the Ace replied, illustrating his ambivalence with a casual wave, "If anything, _I_ owe _you_!"

"...huh?" Hailey hesitated, stowing her purse bag in her back again, "...why?"

"Cause you helped me to evolve my Shelgon!" the Ace cried, "Now, how to repay it..."

"That thing can fly, right?" Hailey ventured, "How 'bout a lift? I can't make it back to a poke centre like this, and I'm lost anyways..."

"Consider it done!" the Ace exclaimed, "Where to?"

"Umm...Goldenrod?" Hailey suggested timidly, "I need to go see my dad... and stuff..."

"Say no more!" The Ace cried excitedly, climbing aboard his Salamence, then holding out an arm to help her up, "Hop on!"

"Th-Thanks..." Hailey shivered, grabbing the hand and mounting the mighty dragon.

"What's wrong?" The Ace smirked.

"Scary..." Hailey mumbled, having never ridden a _pokémon_ before, much less a _Dragon_.

"Heh, she's not that bad..." he 'reassured' her, "OK Salamence, ready to go!"

"Oh, you might wanna hold on..." the Ace hinted. Hailey took the hint, and locked her arms around his chest just in time for Salamence to soar into the sky, Hailey screaming all the way up!

"EEEAAAAAAAAGH!" she screeched, practically deafening the Ace while Salamence rose vertically, before reaching its desired altitude and levelling out.

"Oh my ARCEUS, woman!" the Ace exclaimed, "You're LOUD!"

"It was scary!" Hailey exclaimed, "I can't help screaming!"

"**It **has a name, y'know!" the Ace grimaced, "Her name is Salamence!"

* * *

><p>"You should really give her a nickname" Hailey suggested after a while, calming down now that her ride had, "I mean, she's your prized Sala... thing. A nickname would suit!"<p>

"You serious?" he sighed, "Like I said before, pokémon don't need labels. They only-"

"A nickname isn't a label" Hailey interrupted, causing him to scowl, "They're a way of expressing your feelings for your friends. Some tell stories, others are simply signs of affection. Not _just a label..._"

"Wow..." he commented, "I… I've never thought of it like _that_ before..."

"Well, maybe if you _use_ that purple sponge between your ears, you might put a little more thought into these sorta things!" Hailey giggled cheekily.

"Why you-" he started furiously, but his anger was soon quelled when Hailey rest her head against his back, watching the orangey pink skyline in the distance, with the silhouette of Goldenrod's many skyscrapers contrasting against it, almost as if they were painted on...

"Nickname, huh...?" He mumbled pensively, "Do they really make that much of a difference?"

"Yup" Hailey replied bluntly, "They set your pokémon apart from the others. Nicknames make them... unique"

"Unique..." he muttered, "heh, I like the sound of that..."

And they touched down in Goldenrod's town centre, scattering plenty of leaves in their wake, not to mention basically everything else that wasn't nailed down, and also shocking a lot of town-goers.

"So, who's Blake?" the Ace asked, "I heard you mention a 'Blake' earlier"

"Ohh, he's just... someone I owe an apology" Hailey mumbled in reply, gingerly sliding down Salamence's back and onto the ground.

"Oh, OK then..." the Ace carried on, "I've been... I've been thinking about this nickname idea"

"Oh really?" Hailey queried with genuine interest, watching him dismount as well, "What've you decided on?"

"Well..." he hesitated, _blushing_, "Umm... what's _your_ name?"

"M-me?" Hailey gasped, "W-why me?"

"Because you helped her become what she is, inspired me to nickname her, and gave us a battle we'll never forget..." he explained simply, "Oh, and I like the fire that burns inside of you, eheh..."

"Fire?" Hailey asked, confused, "The hell do you mean by that?!"

"Haha, exactly that!" the Ace chuckled, "You explode into a burning rage without warning! It's perfect!"

"O-oh..." Hailey blushed, taking that potential insult uncharacteristically well "Well, my um... my name's Hailey..."

"Hailey? Awesome!" he cried, "It's like a clash of fire and ice! I love it!"

"So, w-what about you?" Hailey asked, now bashful, "Got a name?"

"Actually, yeah..." the Ace replied casually, "It's... Vince. Nice to meet you... Hailey"

"Vince?" she asked, shocked, "Heh, I was expecting, like, Drake or something"

"Hah, man, I'd love a name like that" the Ace known as Vince chuckled, "But it's way too clichéd. I mean, Drake the Dragon trainer? Seriously?"

"Ahh yeah, guess so..." Hailey agreed, dragging the toe of her right shoe across the floor slowly.

"Well, if that's everything..." Vince remarked, moving to climb aboard his Salamence, "I'm gonna get-"

_"Wait!_ Wait just a sec!" Hailey cried, stopping him in his tracks.

"...yeah?" Vince replied, turning back around with his bronze eyes aglow, "Did you-"

"THAT'S for being an arrogant assface!" Hailey yelled, punching him in the arm with enough force to fell a tree, "Heh, told ya you'd pay for what you said!"

"Oowwwwww..." Vince gasped, grabbing his injured arm and grimacing, "Damn, that's one hell of a punch you got..."

"Tee hee, OK, you can go now!" Hailey giggled, shooing him away, even with hand gestures to illustrate the shooing.

"Heh..." Vince chuckled weakly, stumbling aboard his Salamence, "...what a chick. OK... Hailey, let's go!"

Hailey the Salamence let off an appreciative roar and spread her wings, ready to take off.

"Seeya around, kid!" Vince laughed, and the pair shot off into the sky, and then the sunset beyond...

"Heh..." Hailey the person giggled to herself, evidently pleased, "OK guys, let's get you fixed..."

And she cheerfully strolled into Goldenrod's poke centre, finishing her action packed day.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: This chapter was written mainly so you guys could get a better perspective of Hailey and her... fiery personality, lol.<strong>

**Other things to note would be her entire team of six, her nicknaming philosophy, and just how adorable a Combee can be. =3**

**Although the storyline isn't exactly original, it fills in some gaps in the main story, and was fun to write. Hope you guys enjoyed it!**

**Keen on feedback of any form.**

**Other chapters in the 'Missing Chapters' subseries:**

'**Fee at work'**

'**Fee's trip to the hospital'**

'**Copper's PokeXperience'**

'**The Final Piece Of The Puzzle'**


	4. Copper's PokeXperience part 1

**Copper's PokeXperience (part 1)**

It was a beautiful day in Violet City. Clouds were strewn lazily across the sky, bird pokémon were whistling in trees, children were happily running around the quiet streets, playing games of all sorts, and a soft southerly breeze permeated the serene environment. However, there was but one person who wasn't enjoying the day's spoils.

"Hnnnnnnn..." Copper sighed, gazing out of her bedroom window longingly with her head buried in her arms, "What I wouldn't give to be out there..."

Although her room was full of hi-tech gadgets, such as games consoles, a digital camera, several lava lamps and a laptop, what Copper really wanted was to simply _be outside..._

No matter how much she begged, her mother would simply refuse, defeating her hopes with some vague response such as 'You'll hurt yourself', 'But what if you get lost?', or the infamous, 'I think it's time for you to wash the dishes...', which Copper had learned was the ultimatum for any argument. She'd contemplated running away a couple of times, but without a pokémon to protect her, she wouldn't get very far…

It was tough being Copper sometimes.

Staring sadly out of her window, she had all but fallen to pieces when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the faintest glimmer of hope:

Caught in the gentle wind, a poster that had been poorly stapled to a power pole blew. The wind picked up just slightly, and with a sudden change in direction, it came loose, floating directly towards her!

Gasping, Copper opened her window with a flourish and reached out, trying to grasp at the flimsy piece of paper that was twirling ever closer. She didn't know why, but for some reason, she felt as though she _needed_ to catch this poster!

Stretching out as far as she could, she aimed for the poster, which floated towards her as if it were being enticed by some supernatural power...

"C'mon, c'mon..." Copper mumbled, and with one desperate lunge, she strained even further forwards, and grasped the poster, just barely ensnaring it between her ring and middle fingers!

"Yessss!" She cried victoriously, clumsily clambering back into her room before studying her capture, "Now, why're you so important?"

Examining the poster closely, she mumbled while reading, "PokeX catching expo...?"

Excitement grew in the teen's eyes, and she cried "This is it! This is what I need to get outta here!"

Ecstatic, she dashed out of her room and downstairs, shouting "MOM!" multiple times!

"What on _earth_ is the matter, Rayne?!" her mother's voice called from the lounge, and Copper dashed in, almost tripping due to excitement.

"Umm, M-mom..." she mumbled nervously, her hands trembling from said nerves, "Can I... can I go to this?"

She handed the crumpled poster to her mother, whose eyes, grey like hers, flashed upon simply reading the title. The only real physical differences between Copper and her mother was that her mother was a full redhead, whereas Copper's auburn hair was also slightly longer, and she was a little shorter than her mother, who didn't wear glasses, and wore long skirts and blouses instead of shorts and shirts.

"W-where did you get this...?" Copper's mother, Thana, breathed, evidently furious.

"It umm... it blew into my window..." Copper hesitated, wringing her hands anxiously. She'd heard that icy tone in her mother's voice all too often…

"...Why don't I believe you?" Thana requested cynically.

"Because you don't believe anything I say" Copper replied flatly.

"Hey, watch your tone, young lady!" Thana yelled angrily.

"...sorry" Copper mumbled, "I guess that _was_ a little out of order..."

Her mother studied the poster for a few moments, before uttering her simple, blunt reply:

"You can't go"

She then tore the poster up into four pieces, and dropped them into the nearby waste basket.

"Aww...!" Copper gasped, eyes brimming, "B-But... but _whyyy?"_

"I don't suppose you read the _date_ on that poster, did you?" Thana exhaled threateningly.

"I... I did notice that, yeah..." Copper mumbled, "But I thought that maybe it was ... m-meant to be? Five years to the day, I thought it'd be the perfect chance for a f-f-fresh start... y'know? A clean slate?"

"And what if this 'perfect chance' ends up with you injuring yourself?" Thana muttered coldly, "Getting hospitalised would be a _wonderful_ way to remember him..."

"Aww, c'mon Mom!" Copper pleaded, blinking away her escaped lament, "What're the odds of something like that _actually happening!?"_

"...About the same as slipping on black ice..." her mother mumbled, averting her gaze and walking off into the next room.

"I don't question fate, Rayne..." she continued quietly, "But I won't tempt it. End of discussion"

"Ohh, that's low..." Copper muttered boldly, pursuing her mother, "We both know that Kyle would want me to-"

"To do what?" Thana barked in response, "Follow in his footsteps?!"

"No, to live my life!" Copper retorted, "Five years you've had me cooped up in this damn house, and for what?"

"The answer is no, Rayne" Thana spoke icily, before adding "...you're unstable. I think it's about time you washed the dishes..."

"...you know I _hate_ washing the dishes..." Copper sulked, staring gloomily at the back of her mother's head.

"Just do it, OK?" her mother ordered, "Everything'll be rainbows and Butterfree afterwards, and we can forget this conversation ever took place..."

"But I don't _want_ rainbows and Butterfree, Mom!" Copper cried exasperatedly, "I want reality to not suck!"

And before her mother could respond, she stormed out of the room and back upstairs to her own, slamming the door on the way and collapsing onto her bed, eyes awash with tears.

"W-w-w-why!?" she sobbed, burying her face in her pillow, "Does s-she plan on keeping me here f-forever!?"

But her rant was cut short by an unexpected ringing that emanated from her shorts pocket.

"H-Hello?" she sniffed, extracting her cell phone and answering it.

"Hey champ" the called responded with an air of ambivalent confidence, "How're things?"

"Oh, hi Uncle Morty..." Copper sighed, "Things are... uhh..."

"Not good?" he interrupted, already knowing her answer, "What's wrong?"

"It's... it's stupid..." Copper hesitated, trying to avoid discussing her previous conversation, for it still stung in her mind.

"Hey, I like stupid" Morty countered, "And it's obviously bugging you, so how 'bout you tell the world's greatest uncle?"

"Heh, once I find him, I will..." Copper giggled teasingly, perking up just a little.

"Ooh, I walked right into that one..." Morty groaned, "Nicely done!"

"Hah, alright..." Copper gave in, "I can tell you're gonna keep whining 'til I tell you..."

"You know me so well..." Morty teased.

"So, umm... I found out about this catching expo thing that's going on in town tomorrow..."

"Ahh yeah, pokeX" Morty replied knowledgeably, "A lot of the kids in Ecruteak are going to that"

"Aww, really?!" Copper complained, "Man, that makes it suck even more!"

"How come?"

"Cause Mom won't let me go. She thinks I'll injure myself..."

"Well, you don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to injuries, huh?"

"Uncle _Morty!_ You're supposed to be making me feel better, not _worse!_"

"Hey now, I'm just provin' a point!"

"By ignoring mine? All I wanted was this one little thing, and she wouldn't even give me that!"

"She's just worried about you, Rayne. You do remember what day it is tomorrow, right?"

"Yes..."

"And surely you considered the possibility of lightning striking twice?"

"Yeah, but-"

"That's why your mom's worried 'bout you, Rayne. She doesn't want you to follow in his footsteps"

"Argh, you sound just like her..."

"I know how you feel, Rayne, but-"

"Do you, Uncle Morty? Do you really? Have you ever been a prisoner in your own home?"

"Umm... well no, but-"

"Then don't try to empathise please, Uncle Morty..." Copper sighed, "She doesn't want me to follow in Kyle's footsteps? Look at what happened to him when he got... admitted..."

An awkward silence broke the conversation between the two upon Copper saying that. This was dangerous grounds now...

"...this really means that much to you?" Morty hesitated, sounding almost... sympathetic.

"...yeah..." Copper sniffed, "I need to prove her wrong, and she needs to get the monkey off her back. It's a win win!" she added with a slight giggle.

"Well, your reasoning needs help..." Morty mused, "...ehh, alright. Lemme talk to her"

"R-really?!" Copper spluttered, hardly daring to believe it.

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do..." Morty remarked, "Oh, and just for the record, I'm not promising anything, OK?"

"Okeydokey!" Copper cried, bounding off of her bed again excitedly, "I'll go find her!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Morty's voice crackled through the phone connection as Copper held it in her hands, dashing downstairs to find her mother once again.

"Umm... M-Mom?" She stammered, now highly nervous upon approaching her due to their previous... disagreement.

"What is it, Rayne...?" her mother sighed, walking reservedly towards her daughter.

"Uncle Morty wants to talk to you..." Copper mumbled hesitantly, handing the phone to Thana, who received it suspiciously.

"...Yes, Morty?" she spoke into the phone, wary of potential deceit.

"Hey there, sis" Morty replied casually, "...'sup?"

"Don't you 'sup' me!" Thana barked, "What're you scheming?!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Morty cried, "_Someone's_ pissed!"

Thana's eye twitched, and her lack of a spoken response must have told Morty that he'd touched a nerve.

"...sorry" he apologised, "I'll get straight to the point"

Thana still refused to respond, but Morty continued valiantly, nonetheless.

"I rang up Rayne to find out how she was doing, 'cause it's that time of year again..." He explained carefully, "Turns out you two had a bit of a dispute over this pokeX thing happening in town tomorrow?"

Thana shot her daughter an angry look, who recoiled instantly from its effect, and responded with a curt "Yes. Why?"

"Well, I was just wondering if I could somehow convince you to let her go" Morty continued bluntly, "I mean c'mon, what's the worst that could happen?"

"That's so _very_ tactless of you, Morty..." Thana exhaled furiously, "You forget _tomorrow_ of all days...?!"

"No, I haven't forgotten at all, sis!" Morty countered, "But there's no way she's gonna be in any danger there!"

"...how?" Thana growled, raising a cynical eyebrow.

"Think about it" Morty remarked, "You'll take her there, and the place'll be packed. At the _very_ worst, she'll trip over, and that's hardly life threatening now, is it?"

"You don't know that..." Thana muttered, shooting the oblivious – and anxious – Copper another furtive glance.

"I do" Morty exclaimed.

"No, you don't" Thana countered, "What if-"

"No, I do!" Morty retorted, "They had one of these in Ecruteak about a year or so back. All the proper precautions were taken, and they even had a medical team there, just in case something _did _happen. It was all super professional, believe me"

"I don't know..." Thana muttered, her resolve wavering.

"Oh, and here's the kicker" Morty carried on, now full of confidence after hearing his sister's ebb slightly, "She'll most likely catch herself a pokémon, and it'll be able to look after her, so she can go out and travel!"

Thana gasped, and responded with a swift "No!", indicating that he'd crossed a line there.

"Aww, c'mon sis!" Morty pleaded, "Send her up to me if you must, but that girl has gotta get _outside_!"

"Why has she 'gotta'?" Thana requested pessimistically, "Bumps and bruises and getting dirty is your definition of 'fun', is it?"

"She'll think so. We both know that" Morty stated knowingly, "She wearin' her bow?"

Thana looked back at her daughter, who was still staring at her impatiently, and she couldn't help but notice the bright, forget-me-not blue bow adorning her hair.

"...Yes" she replied slowly, "Why's that of any importance?"

"And lemme guess, she wears it _every_ day?" Morty hinted once again.

"...yes?" Thana repeated herself, now confused.

"Then she'll be fine" Morty explained, "You remember _why_ she wears the bow, correct?"

"Of course!" Thana remarked disdainfully, "To remind her!"

"That's right..." Morty continued, "And we both know that, as long as she's wearing it, she'll be reminded of Kyle, and he'll always be there for her"

"I... I guess so" Thana reluctantly conceded, "But-"

"Besides, last I checked..." Morty carried on, overriding Thana's feeble attempt at disputing his point, "There was something about life that implied _living_. Something she's missing out on by being cooped up at home..."

"Oh, but..." Thana hesitated, searching desperately for another excuse, "But we can't afford it!"

Copper gasped in the background, forming a conclusion in her mind, and Morty shot his sister's argument down instantly with "I'll pay for it. It's still 1000 poke, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-" Thana stammered, unable to think of a comeback in time.

"Need I remind you of what _you_ were like at her age?" Morty teased, ready to act on his playful threat, "If I remember correctly, you were quite the rebel..."

"R-rebel?!" Thana gasped, incredulous.

"That's right" Morty carried on, "Running away from home at just fifteen, with an irresponsible young man four years your senior... what was his name again?"

"...Nicholas" Thana gave in, hanging her head, while in the background, Copper was now rapt, having heard her father's name.

"And I _definitely_ remember all the late nights I snuck out to deliver you food..." Morty chuckled, "Strangely enough, Mom never questioned where all my allowance went..."

"I never really did thank you for that..." Thana sniffed, now misty eyed and nostalgic, "But wait!" she added, "What does this have to do with today? Rayne isn't gonna run away, she's nowhere to go!"

"I'll bet she's been considering it, though..." Morty remarked, "The longer you hold onto something, the further it'll fly when it escapes, sis"

"But I don't want her to fly!" Thana cried, verging on desperation "I want her to stay!"

"Then _let her go..."_Morty advised, "And she'll come back. I promise"

"...!" Thana exclaimed, wanting with every fibre of her being to find some way to resist, but could... quite... do it...!

"Y'know, you could do this for me as a thanks..." Morty hinted snidely, knowing it would produce the results he wanted.

"...Alright" Thana eventually caved, "...she can go"

Copper squealed exultantly in the background, and Morty replied with, "Thanks, sis. I owe ya one"

"No, no no no, you were right..." Thana admitted, "I do have to let her go, otherwise I'll lose her..."

"Too right" Morty agreed, "What goes around comes around, huh?"

"Since when'd you become so wise, little bro?" Thana chuckled, brushing her red hair out of her eyes.

"Ohh, the Kimono Girls" Morty explained, "They spout this kinda philosophical crap all the time. When you're around them as much as I, it tends to rub off a bit, y'know?"

"Ahh, I see..." Thana mumbled, putting two and two together, "Which one?"

"Hah, one?" Morty laughed, "There's _seven_ of them!"

Thana gasped, and Morty took his chance as it arose.

"Bye sis! I'll see you guys tomorrow! Thanks!"

Morty hung up hurriedly, and Thana laughed with an awkward combination of mirth and unease, handing the phone back to her daughter.

"That uncle of yours in one hell of a negotiator..." she chuckled, "Well Rayne, you'd better get your rest if you want to go to this thing tomorrow!"

"EYAAAAAAGH!" Copper squealed, hugging her mother, "Thanks Mom! You're the best!"

And the rest of the day went by without a hitch, consisting of a rushed dinner of mac 'n' cheese, followed by Copper charging around the house excitedly for the next couple of hours.

"Calm down, Rayne!" Thana cried, grabbing her daughter's arm and pulling her down onto the couch, "You'll tire yourself out!"

"I know I know I know!" Copper exclaimed, fighting to get away again, "I'm just soooo excited for tomorrow!"

"It'll take longer to get here if you don't find something to do!" Thana scolded lightly.

"Oo, I know, sleep!" Copper cried, dashing from the room and upstairs to her own, "Night Mom! Love yoooouu!"

"Heh, I wish I still had that kind of energy..." Thana mumbled, hearing her daughter trip over something in her room with a heavy crash and rolling her eyes at it.

"Who knows?" she continued, looking out to the late evening sky, "Maybe we'll have a reason to celebrate tomorrow, instead of mourn..."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Well, here's the first of three chapters illuminating the flaming hoops Copper had to jump through to get to pokeX.<strong>

**Some questions for you guys:**

**1. Does Copper's mother sound at all... bitchy? I was going for overprotective, but might've overdone it.**

**2. What're your thoughts on Morty? He has a fairly important role in this and the next two chapters, so I'm hoping he meets approval.**

**3. What was your opinion on the overall feel of the chapter? I'm hoping for warm and fuzzy. :3**

**4. Do they sound American? Bit of a strange one, I know, but the question still stands, lol.**

**Umm... yeah. Thanks for reading!**

**Oh, and another thing: More attentive readers might be interested to know that Morty's quote works in more than one place in this story…**

**Other chapters in the 'Missing Chapters' subseries:**

**Fee at work**

**Hailey's Travels**

**Copper's PokeXperience**

**Fee's Trip To The Hospital**

**The Final Piece Of The Puzzle**


	5. Copper's PokeXperience  Part 2

**Copper's PokeXperience (Part 2)**

Day had barely broken across Johto when Copper sprang awake excitedly.

"Today's the daaaaaaay!" she cried, bolting upright and dashing about manically. After clumsily getting changed, rushing her breakfast, getting changed _again_, and brushing her teeth, she considered herself ready.

"OK, lookin' good!" she giggled to herself after double-checking her reflection in the mirror, "Now, to get Mom…"

And then Copper's energy quickly changed to nerves. She knew better than to disturb her mother's sleep, especially _this_ early in the morning…

But she had to. Otherwise they wouldn't make it to pokeX in time, and that was a far worse punishment.

"Umm… M-mom?" she hesitated, knocking softly on her mother's door, "Are… you awake?"

"Coffee…" a voice grunted from within, and Copper got the hint.

"Okeydokey!" She cried, dashing downstairs and filling the kettle with water before finding a mug, and adding the appropriate ingredients to her mother's taste. It wasn't until now that Copper noticed the weather.

"Aww…" she sighed, looking to the iron-grey clouds outside, "Raining? Today of all days?"

And if that wasn't enough, she clicked the button on the kettle to have it start boiling, yet the kettle didn't respond…

"Huh?" Copper gasped, confused. She clicked the button a few more times, hoping it would magically have a different effect, but still no luck…

But then the worst thing of all happened.

"I don't smell coffee, Rayne…" Thana yawned, shuffling into the room and collapsing into a chair, with a zombified look marring her expression "why is that?"

"Umm… I think we've had a blackout, Mom…" Copper explained hesitantly, noticing that none of the other electronic products in the house were working, either.

"What? Now?" Thana grumbled, forcing herself to sit up, "Well, I need my coffee, Rayne. Without it, we won't be going outside, and if we don't go outside…"

"I won't be going to PokeX!?" Copper gasped, nothing short of hysterical, "O-o-o-o-OK, Mom! D-don't you worry! I'll get you some coffee… somehow!"

Having been trapped in this house for five years, Copper tended to know exactly where things were, unless her mother had moved them. This wasn't the case today, though, as she quickly managed to extract an old school 'whistling' kettle from one of the cabinets above the kitchen counter, and a camping stove from the cupboard under the stairs. Why it was there, she didn't know, having not gone camping in many years, but now wasn't the time to ask these questions. Now was the time for coffee!

After dusting off both items, she filled the whistling kettle about of the third of the way up with water, and balanced it carefully on the camping stove. She didn't want too much water in the kettle, as there was only one coffee being made, and she wanted to _lift_ the kettle after it had boiled without the risk of scalding herself, as well.

Fire was the tricky part, however; for some reason, they were out of matches.

"Oh man…" Copper groaned, "we run out of matches on the one day we _need_ them?"

Her mother wasn't a smoker, so the odds of having a lighter just lying around were slim. But when push came to shove, Copper was actually extremely resourceful.

"Uhh, have we got any polyester?" She asked her mother, who shrugged feebly.

"Gah, fine, then…" Copper sighed, dashing back upstairs to her room and grabbing all the spare clothes she could find.

Putting on a pair of thin rubber gloves, she ran her hands across each of the items of clothing in turn, waiting for a response. That was when her hand stuck to one of her mother's old 'hand-me-down' jerseys.

"Yess!" she cried, lifting the stuck jersey from the pile and bringing it towards the camping stove, "Ohh, I hope this works…"

She then began to stroke the jersey a little more fiercely, charging up static electricity all the while. But then came the hard part. When her hand left the jersey, she had a split second to touch the stove and transfer the static, then hopefully get a spark out of it.

"C'mon, c'mon!" she puffed, her arm tired from the relentless rubbing. When she removed her tingling hand from the sleeve of the jersey, she hit the stove with force, but not quite enough to knock it over, and to her amazement, the element burst into flames!

"Oh! Oh my gosh! It worked! Yay!" Copper exclaimed, watching the dancing flames with sheer delight, "One coffee comin' up, Mom!"

* * *

><p><strong>Just a quick author's note: I have no idea whether or not this'd actually work. Only in theory. Someone wanna test it for me? :3<strong>

* * *

><p>"…wow" Thana gasped, stunned, "That was impressive, Rayne. Where'd you learn that?"<p>

"Ohh, y'know" Copper answered vaguely, "Internet… online study… it all has to pay off eventually!"

"Bet you never thought you'd be able to apply _that _in the real world, huh?" Thana smirked, undeniably proud of her daughter's genius.

"Oh, I'll say!" Copper laughed, "MagbyLover1134's gonna be _so_ jealous now!"

"Magby… what?" Thana queried, perplexed at whatever her daughter just uttered. But their conversation was interrupted by a steady whistling of the kettle!

"EeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE!" It hissed, as if impatiently whining for someone's attention.

"Ooh, kettle's ready!" Copper exclaimed, applying some oven gloves and carefully lifting the metal pot from the camping stove, ever so careful to not scald herself.

"Ow… owowow… hot steam, hot!" She gasped, keeping as much distance from the steam as she could whilst pouring water out of the kettle, and into her mother's mug.

"Here you go, Mom!" Copper cried, placing the kettle down on the kitchen stove and picking up the mug, before shakily walking across the room and handing it to Thana.

"I have to say, Rayne…"her mother remarked, with a slight grimace at the coffee, "This isn't the best coffee in the world, but you made it without electricity, or even a match! I'm impressed!"

"R-really?!" Copper mumbled, eyes twinkling with happy tears, "You really mean that?"

"Of course. Who else can claim to have made a coffee with a pair of rubber gloves and an old jacket?"

"Ohh, _yay!_" Copper squealed, utterly delighted, refraining from hugging her mother due to the coffee in her hands "Aww, thanks Mom! You're awesome!"

"Heheh, just being honest, honey…" Thana chuckled, sipping at her still hot coffee, "You have everything you need?"

"Umm… I think so?" Copper stammered, "What did that poster say again…?"

"You got your trainer's license?" Thana queried, taking a lengthier draft from her coffee, now that it was finally drinkable, "You'll need that as ID, that's for sure…"

"Ooh, good point!" Copper cried, dashing to a dresser table in the hallway and haphazardly rummaging through it for her license, "where is it, where is it?!"

"Uhh, Rayne?" her mother exclaimed rather loudly, noticing the passport sized document placed tidily on the kitchen counter, "Looking for this?"

Copper stopped her frantic searching, and also noticed the license, which Thana now held in her hand, "Ooh, thanks Mom! Where'd you find it?"

"Right here" Thana laughed, draining the rest of her coffee, "I placed it there last night, thinking you'd notice it. Apparently not…"

"O-oh…" Copper giggled embarrassedly, "..oops. Looks like I missed it, heh"

"Evidently" Thana surmised, handing Copper her license, then filling her now empty mug with water and placing it in the sink, "So, _now_ are you ready to go?"

"Yesssss!" Copper exclaimed, whooshing back down the hallway towards the front door, which was an entirely new frontier to her. After all, she literally hadn't been outside in five years…

"Looks pretty cold out" Thana remarked, judging by the horrible weather outside, "You sure you don't wanna put on an extra layer or something?"

"Hmm…" Copper mused, also considering this notion. She then noticed her mother's old jersey, left on the counter in a discarded heap next to the kettle. The thing had practically saved her chances of going to PokeX today…

"Hah, I think I will…" she mumbled inwardly, grabbing the lumpy old jersey and forcing her limbs through it, "OK, ready!" her muffled voice added, her head popping through the top.

"I understand if you're hesitant…" Thana remarked, also putting on a jacket before unlocking the door, "It's a big world out there, after-"

But no sooner had the door been opened that Copper shot out through it, embracing the wonders of the outside at long last!

"Oh my gosh…" she gasped, with her hands to her mouth, because she was so scarcely able to believe it, "I'm… I'm _outside!_"

And like a kid in a candy store, she dashed around manically, finding enjoyment in pretty much everything, be it stroking the new leaves on trees, jumping in puddles, or simply breathing fresh air for the first time in years. She even had immense fun shaking a small tree and watching the shocked myriads of Taillow scatter from it in all directions, giggling all the while in spite of the heavy downpour.

"Hey, c-can we get moving, Rayne?" Thana shivered impatiently, "I'm getting soaked!"

"Huh?" Copper queried, snapping back to her senses, "Ohh, right…"

And the pair made their way across Violet City's cobblestone paths towards the trainer's school, where pokeX was being held.

"OK…" Thana sighed, twisting the door handle and opening it, "Let's get this over with"

They both entered the room, only to be greeted by a familiar voice.

"About time you two showed up!"

Predictably, both mother and daughter jumped with identical surprise upon being greeted in such a manner, and the voice's owner stepped forwards.

"Hah, haven't changed a bit…" Morty laughed, folding his arms with satisfaction, "What took you so long?"

"It's very fun outside" Copper remarked, with an almost comical lack of emotion. Her face was completely expressionless, her clothes were soaked through, her hair water dripping wet, as well as adorning a few leaves, her bow had a twig caught up in it, and virtually the entirety of her lower half was splattered with mud, but there was a distinct look in her eyes; the unmistakeable glow you see when a dampened spirit – one that had been all but forgotten – has suddenly been rekindled. Her face was calm, yet her eyes, metallic grey in colour, were shining with excitement, like someone had physically lit the strips of magnesium that encircled her pupils, and thus creating a spark so bright that no force on earth could extinguish. The sheer contrast between her face and her eyes… it was almost as if her mind couldn't _quite_ comprehend this intense euphoria she was experiencing right now.

"Umm… Rayne?" Thana asked, eyeing her daughter concernedly, "Are… you OK?"

"Wait for it…" Morty chuckled quietly, seeming to know what was about to happen.

And like the processor on a computer, the cogs in Copper's overworking mind eventually caught up with it, springing into action!

"EYAAAAAAAGH!" she squealed, bursting forwards and ensnaring her arms around her mother's waist into a tight hug, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

"That's… wonder-ful, sweetie!" Thana gasped, straining to breathe, "Wanna… let go… now?!"

"Huh?" Copper queried, mystified, before realising that she was constricting her mother, and let go with a flourish, "…ohh, right. Sorry mom!"

"Don't…" Thana half gasped, half growled, noticing the smug look on Morty's face and shooting him a dirty look, evidently knowing what he was about to say.

"Aww…" Morty sighed, withdrawing his extended index finger, "So, uhh, we gonna do this or what?"

"It's why we're here…" Thana muttered darkly, and the three of them turned to face the registration desk, only to be met with a lot of stunned, wide-eyed expressions from the dozens of people already in the building.

"O-oh, people were… people were watching?" Copper whispered, blushing a self-conscious scarlet and sweatdropping, "…dammit…"

"You'll be _fiiiine_" Morty laughed, in a vain attempt to restore her self-esteem, "They'll just see you as being really, _really_ excited to be here, heh"

"Ohh, when you look at it like that…" Copper mused, her embarrassed complexion gently fading away again, "It doesn't look so bad!"

"Aside from it being _true_…" her mother added, with a suppressed chuckle.

"Heh, yeah, I guess so" Copper giggled, "Anyways, let's do this!"

Advancing forward, she, Thana and Morty joined the back of one of the queues, now that the rest of the people had resumed normality, i.e. stopped staring at her like she'd suddenly turned purple.

"Hi, are you here for pokeX?" An attendant finally asked her after a fair amount of (im)patient waiting.

"Yessss!" Copper cried ecstatically, barely able to contain herself.

"Great!" the attendant replied, humouring her with faux over-the-top enthusiasm, "Could I see your trainer ID, please?"

"Okeydokey!" Copper exclaimed, rummaging through her bag for her ID, which she then placed on the desk in front of her.

"A… Unova ID?" the attendant queried, examining the battered old ID with confusion.

"Uh-huh…" Copper nodded,"Is… that a problem?"

"Well, PokeX is only open to Johto residents…" the attendant mumbled, sounding sympathetic, "We don't want to give foreign, potentially illegal visitors the chance to gain residency status by catching a pokémon at an official event such as this one. I'm… I'm sorry…"

"Ohh, what?!" Copper exploded, her eyes practically shattering, "But! but but!.."

"But she _is_ a Johto resident!" Thana interjected, to stop her daughter elevating into hysterics, "We immigrated here almost five years ago, and received residency last year!"

"Well, umm… do you have the documents to prove that?" the attendant asked, studying Copper's ID and comparing the picture in it with its owner, then squinting at what was seemingly a poor picture.

"Uhh… not on me, no…" Thana mumbled, "B-But I can go get them?"

"…That'd be good" the attendant remarked, scratching his head nervously.

Thana was ready to dash off home and retrieve the paperwork, when Morty stepped in.

"Hoold on just a second!" he exclaimed, "_I'm_ a Johto resident! Have been ever since I became a gym leader!"

"M-m-Morty?!" the attendant gasped, somehow having not noticed him until now, "Wh-what're you doing here, sir!?"

"Making sure my little niece catches her first pokémon!" Morty replied, ruffling Copper's hair playfully, "She's a member of my family, so papers or not, that means she's eligible for this, because I am. Correct?"

"T-that is correct, yes…" the attendant mumbled, now highly nervous, "S-so... she's… y-your niece?"

"Yup" Morty answered bluntly, "Now, you've just gotta ask yourself one question…"

He looked the attendant right in the eye, and finished with, "Would I lie to you?"

A few moments of Morty's wide-eyed staring had the attendant convinced.

"V-very well…" he conceded, "Paperwork w-won't be necessary. H-how old are you, miss?"

"Fifteen…?" Copper hesitated, her breathing shallow and anxious.

"Really?" the attendant asked, once again cynical, "You look older…"

"Nope. Fifteen" Copper announced, unsure as to whether she should be pleased or insulted by the attendant's remark, "March 13th, 1997. Says so on my ID"

"Yeah, but this is a really-" the attendant attacked, but another piercing stare from Morty forced him to withdraw almost immediately.

"O-OK then…" he quivered, handing Copper her ID back, "C-can't be too careful, because a lot of people say they're fifteen to save money on tickets… y'know?"

"Ahaha, makes sense…" Copper laughed, scratching the back of her head nervously.

"Anyways, you make sure you get your ID updated, huh?" the attendant suggested, "The only thing I could use to positively identify you was the bow in your hair…"

"My bow…?" Copper queried, looking up towards the forget-me-not ribbon of silk that was neatly perched atop her head, and adjusting it slightly, "W-what about my glasses?" she added, gesturing to them.

"A lot of people wear glasses…" the attendant explained with a small sigh, "Whereas that huge bow is pretty unique. Anyway, that'll be 1000 poke, please"

Copper and her mother looked to each other in bemusement, before Morty stepped in once again, "I got it"

Reaching into his back pocket, he extracted a wallet, and from it, thumbed through 1000 poke's worth of notes.

"There ya go!" he exclaimed, slapping the money down on the table and provoking gasps from both Thana and Copper.

"What?" he spluttered, "It's just 1000…"

"It might be spare change to you, Morty…" Thana sighed icily, "But to us it's a lot of money!"

"Well it's a good thing I'm here then, huh?" Morty chuckled, "Now, you go scamper off, Rayne. Your Mom and I have got some things to take care of…"

"Things?" Thana remarked, now suspicious, "W-What things?"

"You'll find out soon enough!" Morty teased, pushing his sister towards the exit from behind.

"O…K?" Copper queried, receiving her ticket from the attendant, "Thanks Mom! Thanks Uncle Morty! You guys are the best!"

"Just walk through that door, and find a seat" the attendant explained to her as Morty forced Thana out of the building, "Oh, and don't forget to grab a free drink on the way in!"

"Will do, thanks!" Copper exclaimed, approaching the drinks table.

"OoooooOOOOoooooh!" She gasped, examining the drinks with awe, "Got anything without sugar?"

She politely declined the lemonade that a second attendant had just offered her, and added, "You don't wanna give me sugar, trust me…"

"Umm…" the attendant hesitated, "Well, we've got all this fizzy stuff, fruit and Berry juices, Soda Pop, Fresh Water, MooMoo Milk…"

"MooMoo Milk!?" Copper gasped, "Y_a_y!" I _love_ MooMoo Milk!"

Excitedly, she grabbed a cup of the calcium-rich liquid, and dashed through the double doors before the attendant could even reach, "Thank youuuuuu!"

"Heheh…" the attendant laughed nervously, scratching to the back of his head, "That girl is nuts"

Back in the other room, Copper was debating over her choice of seat. She wanted to be able to see what was going on, without _being_ seen by everyone and their Poochyena, which was difficult, considering the room was styled like a cinema. Realising that this compromise was practically impossible, she sacrificed the lesser of two evils, and decided to avoid attention near the back.

And the waiting began. Although Copper was anything _but_ patient, she was perfectly placated for the time being, having obtained a curly straw from somewhere with which to play with her MooMoo Milk.

Giggling like a four year old, she'd watch the milk rise slowly through the straw, and get as close to her lips as she could manage, and then blowing it back through again to create bubbles. She was having such an immensely fun time that she barely noticed someone sit next to her; it was in fact his pokémon that caught her attention…

"Haaah!?" she gasped, almost choking on her MooMoo Milk and carefully placing it in the cupholder on her armrest, to avoid spilling it over herself, "Aww, your Eevee is so cute!"

The owner's head snapped to his right, and he noticed Copper, who was making googly eyes at his Eevee.

"Oh, umm… thanks?" he hesitated, seemingly unsure in his response.

"Wh-what's his name?" Copper cried, "Did you catch him yourself?"

"_Her_ name's Luna" the dark-haired male replied, putting emphasis on the 'her', "and… sorta"

"Ooh, a _girl_ Eevee?" Copper whispered ecstatically, "You're so lucky!"

"So I've been told..." the young man replied with a shrug, and Copper felt obliged to ask "Whaddya mean by 'sorta'?"

"...found her" he answered simply, "Abandoned by a river"

"Who would do that?!" Copper gasped, grabbing the attention of a few more people near her.

"It's their loss" he shrugged again, stroking his Eevee between the ears and mumbling, "Isn't that right, Luna?"

She replied with a contented "Veeee..."

"And she's such a pretty colour too..." Copper sighed, brushing her hair from her eyes, "…M-may I?"

"Ask her" the boy responded, gesturing to Luna, who looked up at him, bemused. Copper giggled excitedly at the prospect, and patted her shorts-clad thighs, asking the tacit question of 'can I play with you?'

"It's OK" the boy muttered to Luna the Eevee, who looked up at him for support on the matter. She then looked towards Copper, whose hands were shaking from nerves. Luna then sat up, stretched, and then warily wandered over to Copper, who giggled more and more violently as Luna cautiously sat down on her lap.

"Ohh, she's so _soft!_" Copper melted, stroking Luna's shimmering fur with awe. Luna was happily basking in this new attention as the Copper coddled her enthusiastically.

"Oh, and my name's Rayne, by the way" she stated, "But everyone calls me Copper. Wanna guess why?"

She lifted a braid of her chest length hair, then let it run through her fingers, and was pleased to finally hear some emotion escape from this new friend of hers; laughter.

"Hah, I think I can tell" he chuckled reservedly, "My name's –"

But then a booming voice interrupted him, "Welcome to pokeX!"

A tumultuous explosion of cheering escaped the crowds, and a man walked onto the stage in front of the cinema screen at the back of the room.

"Hi, I'm Chris, and thank you all for participating in pokeX!" he continued shouting, "Now, because of the power outage, we're a little behind schedule, so bear with us!"

"Aww, poor guy…" Copper mumbled to herself, instantly feeling sympathy for the guy, for he was trying to keep at least three hundred people – most of which were impatient teenagers such as herself – at attention.

"OK, and I think we're ready to go!" Chris bellowed to the unruly crowd, "Now the first thing on our schedule is the personality quiz!" he explained. More cheering erupted from the crowds, and Chris continued with, "Normally we'd have this all done by computer, but the power's out, so instead, it'll be done on paper!"

Chris had barely finished talking when a pile of papers were shoved into the hands of Luna's owner, whose name was still a mystery to Copper. He took one off the top, and passed the rest to her, who also took one, and passed the pile to the sandy haired boy next to her, and so on…

"Remember to answer the questions as sincerely as you can!" Chris explained, "As that will give us the most accurate results. Don't ask someone else what they put! This is _your_ personality quiz, not theirs!"

Pens were then handed around, and Copper whimpered slightly upon noticing the first question.

Question One:

What is your favourite pokémon type?

Fire

Water

Grass

Electric

Ground

Rock

Fighting

Psychic

Poison

Bug

Flying

Ghost

Ice

Dragon

Dark

Steel

Normal

"Aww, but I like all of them..." Copper muttered to herself, noticing that both trainers on either side of her had already circled answers. Starting to panic, she quickly circled a random type near the middle to avoid falling behind, and moved onto the next question:

Question Two:

What kind of pokémon appeals to you most?

A pokémon with character, that is difficult to train, but well worth the wait

A pokémon that grows quickly, but may be considered underwhelming by the more experienced.

A balance of these two extremes, a.k.a, average.

"Gotta have something well-rounded to start with..." she whispered, circling the third choice and thinking of Luna, who was purring in her lap.

Question Three:

How important is evolution to you as a pokémon trainer?

Very. Pokémon should be big and strong!

Quite. Evolution is a part of growing up and developing trust.

Not so much. I won't stop my pokémon from evolving, but wouldn't force them to, either.

I'd rather they didn't...

No! Pokémon should stay the same!

What the hell is evolution?!

"Ahh, I don't know!" Copper cried, writhing in frustration, and then instantly regretted her jumpiness, feeling Luna's warmth leave her thighs and wander back to her owner.

"Aww…" she mumbled, considering her answer carefully now, before circling it and moving on.

Question Four

Imagine you were training a full team of six pokémon. Which of these answers would best resemble that team?

Six of my favourite pokémon!

A team based on one central theme.

A team were all of the pokémon were of the same type.

Six pokémon that describe me well as a trainer.

A team of widely varying types, to cover each other's weak points.

A balanced team, offering great utility and all round performance.

A team full of rare and powerful pokémon only!

The first six pokémon I ran into!

None of these.

"I'll go for 'balanced'" Copper mumbled, somehow circling the wrong answer by mistake, "What the? Oh, crud…"

Question Five

Which of these regions would you rather catch a pokémon from?

Kanto and the Rainbow Islands

Johto

Hoenn

Sinnoh

Unova

No preference

"No place like home..." Copper muttered bluntly, circling 'Unova' and continuing to the next question, but not before staring longingly at Luna, fast asleep on her trainer's lap. She would have dearly loved an Eevee, but it was too late to change her answer now…

Question Six

What are pokémon to you?

Lifelong partners and friends

Pets

Tools to be used

Means of solving problems

Subordinates

"Seriously?" Copper gasped with contempt, and circling the top answer. Next question:

Question Seven

The secret to becoming strong is:

Training, and lots of it!

Exploiting your opponents' weaknesses

Learning to trust your pokémon implicitly

Taking shortcuts and finding the easy way out

Cheating

"Hmm... tough one" Copper mumbled, torn between the first and third answers. She eventually settled, and flipped the page to the final question:

Question Eight

What did you think of this quiz? (Not that your answer will not affect your results. You do not have to answer).

Underneath it was a couple of blank lines, evidently for writing in an answer.

"Some... of the... quest-ee-uns... were dumb" Copper spoke out loud, vocalising what she'd just written.

"Not sure they'll like that" Luna's owner laughed, leaving his space blank.

"Heyyy!" Copper retorted, "It's better than nothing!"

She pointed to the empty box on his paper, before suddenly remembering, "Oh! That's right! I didn't catch your name!"

He flipped back to the front of the quiz, where Copper was forced the untidy scrawl in the top right corner.

"Blalie... Crixent?" She queried, peering over and squinting, "Funny name..."

"...Blake Crescent..." He sighed, ruffling her hair playfully.

"Heyyy!" she protested, readjusting her bow, "It's not my fault your writing's impossible!"  
>"Heh. True" He laughed, handing both of their papers to the patient attendant and catching a glimpse at Copper's full name, written tidily in the top left corner, then muttering something to himself. Papers were then slowly gathered, and returned to the appropriate room.<p>

"Thank you everyone!" Chris the announcer exclaimed, "It'll take a while for the results of the quiz to come back. Like, tomorrow, most likely. So how 'bout we continue then?"

A lot of booing escaped from the crowds, and Chris dove for cover as a shoe narrowly missed his head.

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" he yelled, evidently angry "It's not like the world's gonna end if you don't finish this thing today!"

After hearing a fair amount of disdained mumbling from the audience, Copper stood up and stretched.

"Well, at least the rain's stopped" she announced, gesturing to the sky outside, which depicted the sun attempting to force its head out from behind the iron-grey clouds.

"So, Blake?" Copper carried on, "Wanna wander 'round town?"

She then clambered past him instead of simply waiting for him to stand up as well, not hearing his answer for tripping clumsily on the stairs and sprawling across the floor.

"You OK?" He asked, standing up to offer a helping hand.

"Heh. Yeah, I'm fine" she chuckled weakly, grabbing his hand and wrenching herself to her feet, "Hey, can I... hold Luna?"

"Umm..." he hesitated, standing up and glancing down towards his Eevee, who had just jumped down to the floor, "She... prefers to walk, normally..."

"Aww, g'waaaan!" Copper pleaded, adjusting her glasses, "I promise I won't fall over!"

"Why does that make a difference?" Blake laughed, seemingly perplexed.

"Because I normally fall over lots..." she muttered sheepishly, "But I'll take extra care if you let me hold her?"

"Meh" he shrugged, "Ask _her_"

Copper gasped at this prospect, and nervously bent down, beckoning to Luna.

"...Luna?" She asked warily, "Can I... carry you?"

"Vee?" Luna responded, bemused and looking up to her owner for an answer. Blake seemed willing, so Luna turned her attention to Copper's outstretched hands, where the clichéd 'ball 'n' chain' look in her eyes said it all.

"Yaaaaay!" Copper squealed. She picked up Luna hastily, who winced a little as she was squished against Copper's chest and face.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank ya-whooa!" Copper exclaimed, spinning around with Luna in her arms, and then losing her footing and falling backwards.

"WHOA!" Blake gasped, springing into action and catching her from behind, just in time, "Careful there!"

"Th-thanks..." Copper muttered, blushing violently, due to a combination of exactly _where_ Blake's hands were, and nearly humiliating herself in public.

"U-Umm... sorry" she mumbled dejectedly after being left her to stand on her own power, "M-maybe I should let Luna... down"

She shakily moved to lower Luna back onto the ground, but Blake interjected with "Just be a little more careful, OK?"

Copper blushed even more furiously as this sentiment, so much so that she was barely indistinguishable from her fiery hair, which was currently everywhere. Her eyes, however, lit up once again.

"...OK" she whispered, "I'll... try. Guess holding Luna didn't help any, huh?"

"You're just a little too excited right now" Blake chuckled, "So, wanna go wander round town, like you suggested?"

"S-sure" Copper hesitated, moving a shaky right leg in front, and stumbling forwards out of the doorway.

"So, any good food here in Violet?" Blake asked, evidently trying to take her mind off her recent embarrassment.

"Oh?" she mumbled in reply, "I... wouldn't know. I don't get out much..."

"Ah" he replied, sounding defeated, "Well, let's go find somewhere, huh? My shout?"

"You're... taking me to dinner?" Copper gasped, blushing again, "Like a... like a _date?_"

"Uhh, yeah..." Blake replied with a short laugh, "Except for the 'date' part"

"Ohh, heh" Copper chuckled, laughing with mirth at her misconception.

"Besides, you seem to have taken a bit of a shine to Luna" Blake added, noticing Copper stroke Luna lovingly with her free hand.

"Uh-huh" Copper nodded, "Eevee is my _favourite_ pokémon!"

She nuzzled Luna with her cheek, and they walked through Violet City, which had a fair selection of restaurants and takeaways. The sun had finally beaten the clouds away, and had started to descend before Copper decided on a modest little bakehouse on the outskirts. It was small and quiet, but clean, smelt like baking, and had quite a view…

The little tables perched outside of the building were angled to face the evening sun – which had dyed the sky a vivid crimson – as well as overlooking the whole town.

"Such a pretty view..." Copper sighed contentedly as Blake opened the door, politely offering her first entry.

"So, what're you keen on?" he asked, gesturing to the rows of baked and dairy goods.

"Ohh, I don't wanna be a burden..." Copper mumbled sheepishly, angling towards the cheaper delicacies before noticing a tasty looking Ice Cream in the back row, "Hey whoa, is that a Casteliacone?! Man, I haven't seen one of those in _forever_!"

"Heh, I wish..." the guy behind the counter chuckled, "If it was, I might get a few more customers. It's a fake, sadly..."

"Aww..." Copper sighed, still insistent on finding something cheap, "Hey, Blake, what's my budget?"

"Hey, I said 'my shout'" he sighed, "If you want something, just get it. Price doesn't matter..."

"R-Really?!" she gasped, turning red once again and and putting the sky outside to shame, "O-OK... I'll take... that thing!" she added, pointing excitedly at a spiral pastry with white icing.

"Good good" Blake muttered, "I'll take one of those, one of _those_, and... a couple of poffins?"

"One strawberries 'n' cream swirl, one dark choc cheesecake, and two apico-spear poffins?" the guy behind the counter queried, grabbing the selected goods with tongs, "That'll be... 840, please"

Blake thumbed through some notes, and handed him the required money.

"And that's... 60 change" he replied, "Have a nice day!"

"Thanks!" Copper cried as Blake grabbed the three bags and pushed the door open again. Copper charged through and chose the table nearest the apex of the cliff, sitting in the chair facing the setting sun.

"So, why'd you choose here?" Blake asked, sitting opposite her.

"Cause of this view..." Copper sighed, "So romantic..."

She clumsily lowered Luna onto the ground, and Blake sorted out the meals before tearing Luna's bag of poffins open, and placed it next to her so that she all tuck in.

"Y'know, guys aren't normally this nice to me..." Copper mumbled, making little circles on the table with her index finger.

"Well, you've been nice to Luna and I" Blake replied, "So it's only fair that I return the favour, huh?"

"I dunno why other guys aren't so nice to you" he added after a minute or so, "You seem like a really likeable person..."

Copper stopped circling, and then looked directly at him, eyes aglow.

"Y-you really mean that?" she whispered, tears sparkling in her engorged eyes.

"Of... course" Blake replied, noticing her mannerisms and withdrawing slightly. Stifling a happy judder, Copper sniffed, "Thank you..." and averted her gaze for the rest of the meal.

She didn't even ask to carry Luna on the way back into town, who wandered behind them ambivalently.

"Th-thanks so much for today" Copper mumbled shyly outside the poke centre, "You really made me feel... special"

"Everyone deserves to feel special, Copper" Blake muttered distantly, daring to lean forwards and offer the customary hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow, OK?" he suggested, resting his head on her shoulder in physical embrace.

"I'd... I'd like to do this again sometime?" Copper hinted quietly, leaning forwards again, lips pursed.

"Whooa!" Blake exclaimed, swerving out of the way, "Can't do that!"

"...Did I... Did I read that wrong...?" Copper mumbled, blushing fiercely and steadying herself again.

"Umm, yeah..." Blake remarked, "Already got a girlfriend. Sorry..."

"But... you're here alone?" Copper muttered through her hair, which had draped itself across her face when she stumbled.

"She's in Goldenrod" he explained, "... sick"

"Shouldn't you be taking care of her, then?" Copper remarked a little more defiantly, edging on accusational.

Blake sighed, and proceeded to explain to her _why_ he was alone.

"B-but what about the food, and letting me carry Luna?" Copper requested cynically, placing her hands on her hips and blowing her fringe from her eyes.

"I was... just being nice" Blake mumbled disappointedly, "You asked to hold Luna, and we were all hungry..."  
>"And the table in the sunset!?" Copper demanded with a condemning index finger.<p>

"You picked that table!" Blake exclaimed, capitalising on her mistake.

"Oh... Oh, yeah..." Copper shrank, defeated.

"I'm sorry for giving you the wrong idea…" Blake said apologetically, lowering her pointing hand, "Didn't mean to"

"Oh, all right..." Copper sighed, deflating, "I guess I can't _not_ believe you. Sorry for accusing you. I thought you were lying about her for some reason..."

"Don't worry about it" I remarked, "It does sound a bit weird, I know"

And they both stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments. Evidently they were both a little unsure exactly of what to say next. So both said nothing. Until…

"Well, I'll… umm… seeya tomorrow" Copper mumbled, rubbing her hands together nervously. She then took off down the road and past the school.

"Bye Blake! Bye Luna!" she called, watching them disappear behind a building as she ran off home.

"Aww, man, Mom's gonna kill me for being this late…" she mumbled anxiously, knocking on the front door and dreading the results.

The door was slowly unbolted, and swung open, revealing an angry Thana.

"And what time do you call this?" she muttered, one hand on her waist, the other on the door handle.

"S-sorry…" Copper hesitated, trying to think up some ingenious excuse in no time, "It's just that that pokeX thing-"

"Ended two hours ago" her mother interrupted, "Before you try to lie your way outta this"  
>"Ohh…" Copper muttered, clearly stumped at her mother's knowledge, "OK, I give. I met a guy, and he took me to dinner, happy? He even let me hold his-"<p>

"Enough!" Thana stopped her, "Do I _really_ wanna hear this?"

"_Eevee_, Mom!" Copper cried exasperatedly, "He let me hold his Eevee! Man, you really think I would've done something like that?!"

"There's only one thing on a boy's mind, Rayne…" Thana sighed, "Why else would he take you to dinner?"

"Cause I was nice to him!" Copper retorted, "He was just being nice in return! He bought me a swirly thing with icing on it!"

"Like I said…" Thana muttered, stepping aside to let her daughter in, "One thing"

"He's already got a girlfriend, Mom!" Copper whined, exacerbated, "Stop being so negative!"

"Where was she, then?" Thana accused, "Or was he committing an infidelity right before your eyes!?"

"She's sick in Goldenrod…" Copper explained.

"And he's _here_ because…?" Thana accosted her further.

"Because he's on his way to New Bark Town to get his pokédex…" Copper mumbled, dejected over her mother's mistrust in her.

"Yet he already had a pokémon?" Thana muttered, "This story's unravelling, Rayne!"

"Yeah, I thought that myself at first," Copper agreed, "But why would he lie, Mom?"

"To take advantage of a naïve young girl, perhaps?" Thana growled, "Face it, Rayne. You need to-"

"_You_ need to trust in your daughter a little more!" An elderly male voice interrupted from the lounge, halting their conversation.

"W-who was that?" Copper gasped, shocked. Although the voice sounded familiar to her, she couldn't quite place it…

"We've got visitors…" Thana sighed, irritated about said voice, and its owner approached them.

"You were quite the rebel at her age, Thana" an old man with wispy white hair chuckled, walking into the hallway with one arm outstretched and the other hand holding onto a twisted old cane.

"G-Grampa!?" Copper gasped, rushing forwards and excitedly hugging the geriatric, "I haven't seen you in for-_ever_!"

"Aww, it's good to see you too, sweetie…" her grandfather, Kenneth, cooed, returning the hug, "C'mon, come say hi to your Gramma…"

And the trio walked into the lounge, where Copper was greeted by Morty and her equally enthusiastic grandmother, Morana.

"Speaking of rebels…" Kenneth chuckled, watching Copper dive on top of her grandmother, "where is that scrofulous son-in-law of mine?"

"He's… away on business…" Thana grumbled, bottling up the rage that was visibly seething just beneath the surface.

"I'll never forgive you for this…" she growled to Morty under her breath. However, this only broadened the cheesy grin that had been plastered across his face.

"Yeahh, you will" he taunted, poking his tongue out.

"Now, now, Mortimer…" Morana scolded, "Be nice to your sister!"

"Aww, but Mom!" Morty whined, "At least call me Morty…"

"Heh heh, Mortimer…" Thana chuckled, "Haven't heard that in a while"

"Why, you!" Morty yelled angrily, "Dammit Mom, why couldn't you give _her _a fancy name that _I_ could mock?!"

"Pfft, even without the name, you still had that stupid haircut…" Thana teased, infuriating him further.

"Quit it!" Morty cried, in a strangely juvenile fashion, "Quit it quit it quit it quit it quit it quit-"

"Hey!" Kenneth shouted, "Both of you, stop. Now!"

"…she started it…" Morty groaned, pointing angrily at Thana, who poked her tongue out at him once again, all in front of a rather disturbed Copper, who'd never seen either of them act this way. Especially not her _mother_…

"Anyway…" Kenneth continued, "We're a little short on seats in here. Got any spares?"

"Go fetch a beanbag from your room, honey" Thana suggested to her daughter.

"You got it, Mom!" Copper cried, jumping up and dashing upstairs to her room, grabbing a beanbag and clambering back with it.

"Here you go, Uncle Morty!" She giggled, throwing the bright yellow beanbag towards him as Thana snuck into the recliner, to stop him taking it.

"Aww man!" Morty complained, studying the beanbag in disgust, "Buneary? _Seriously_?! I hate those damn things!"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Copper teased, "Did you want the pink one with Skitty on it?"

Without another word, Morty sat in the garish yellow beanbag, and behaved. His face told a different story, however…

"Silly Uncle Morty…" Copper giggled, squeezing back in between her grandparents on the two-seater, "He forgets that I'm a _girl_, and that I like _girly _stuff…"

"Yes indeedy" Kenneth chuckled, noticing his son's sullen stare, "So, how was your day, honey?"

"Oh, it was _awesome_!" Copper cried, ecstatic, "I got to fill out this quiz thingy, and I got MooMoo Milk, and a guy let me hold his Eevee – she was so _soft_! – and he bought me a pastry thing, and there was a pretty sunset, and-"

And Copper continued to talk for quite literally hours, finishing up what had to be, in her mind, the best day ever.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**So, what do you guys think of this chapter? Would you have preferred it without the repeated dialogue?**

**I thought I'd introduce a couple more members of Copper's family, namely her (maternal) grandparents.**

**Secretly mocking Morty ftw, lol.**

**Oh, and I'm not sure if you could start a camping stove by just static electricity. If someone does wanna test this out, please do so in a safe environment?**

**Sorry I'm taking so long to update, guys. Thanks for bearing with me. :3**


	6. Copper's PokeXperience Part 3

**Copper's PokeXperience (part 3)**

Once again, Copper burst awake at an exceptionally early time, today greeted by an indecisive cloudy sky.

"Aww, weather's sucky again…" she yawned, sitting up and stretching, "No power still, either. Oh well! Still gonna be awesome!"

She bounced out of bed, showered, dressed, ate some breakfast and brushed her teeth, considering herself ready to go shortly afterwards. Before going back downstairs, however, she noticed something attached to her door.

"Huh? What's this?" she queried, grabbing the bag of five poke balls, taped to the door itself and accompanied by a note:

'_To Rayne._

_Hope these will make things a little easier for you._

_Lots of love, Grampa'_

"Oh, wow..." Copper mumbled, happily pocketing the bag of poke balls, "Thanks, Grampa..."

Glancing towards her mother's room, she then asked herself "Now, do I risk waking Mom...?"  
>And she looked out the window, noticing that people were already starting to gather outside the school, thus indicating that PokeX was re-opening soon. She wasn't sure if she'd manage to start that old camping stove again...<p>

This caused her to start panicking, for fear of being late. But then, upon walking downstairs again, a welcome noise greeted her from the lounge:

*snore…*

Surprised, Copper peered into the lounge to find none other than Morty. Fast asleep on the beanbag. His position hadn't changed at all from last night.

"Uncle Morty...?" she mumbled, shaking him gently to try and house him, "wake up..."

"Yes Zuki, I am a natural blonde..." he muttered in his sleep. However, a sharp poke in the ribs had him awake.

"Yagh!" he gasped, falling off the beanbag and scrambling back to his feet, "What the!?"

He looked around confusedly for a moment, to find the source of his awakening, and then noticed Copper staring at him.

"I take back _everything_ I said about that beanbag..." he yawned, staring at it lovingly, "Damn thing is awesome"

"Good to know... I guess?" Copper hesitated, stifling a giggle, "Hey, could you walk me to the school? Mom needs her sleep, and it looks like it's starting soon..."

"But it's... like... there" Morty mumbled, suppressing another yawn and pointing out of the window, to the school that was barely a hundred metres away.

"I know..." Copper sighed, "But you know what Mom's like. If I went there by myself, she'd _flip_"

"And if I took you, she'd be OK with that?" Morty queried.

"Probably not" Copper began, "But-"

"Let's do it!" Morty cried manically, unlocking the door and bursting out of the house, practically obliging Copper into following.

"Do you _wanna_ set her off!?" she cried exasperatedly, chasing after him.

"After last night... hell yeah" Morty laughed with devious satisfaction, "Gives me an excuse to yell at her s'more"

"O...K?" Copper queried, deciding to change the subject, "…s-so… Who's Zuki?"

"Hunh?!" Morty gasped, completely taken aback, "H-how'd you find out about her?"

"You mentioned her name in your sleep" Copper answered simply, "So she's... someone special, huh?"

"...could say that" Morty evaded, clearly keen to drop this subject.

"Finally gonna be tied down?" Copper probed teasingly, noticing that this line of conversation made him uncomfortable.

"Well, not so sure about 'down'..." Morty snidely chuckled to himself, "ANYway, looks like we're here! Bye now!"

"Aww, but I wanna-" Copper started, only to realise that her uncle had already managed to disappear somehow, leaving her with the crowds outside the school.

"...oh" she mumbled, "Gone. H-how does he do that...?"

And Copper was left with nothing to do but wait. Having no MooMoo Milk to keep her occupied this time, she quickly got bored.

"Awww, c'monnnnn!" she whined, stomping her feet out of impatience. However, it didn't take too long for Blake to show up.

"Umm... hey" she mumbled sheepishly, blushing slightly upon noticing his presence, "Sorry 'bout yesterday..."

"Don't be" he replied casually, offering her Luna to hold. She jumped at the opportunity, and he took the chance to ask, "What's going on?"

"Not really sure..." Copper hesitated, nuzzling Luna's fur happily, "I think they're just running late 'cause of the blackout. It's forced them to mark those test thingies by hand, after all..."

And just as she finished her sentence, an explosion of cheering erupted from the crowd, and the doors opened!

"Finally!" A brown-haired boy not too far from them cried, and Chris the presenter stepped out in front of the congregation.  
>"Hey everyone!" he exclaimed, looking a little embarrassed, "Sorry about the wait!"<p>

The expanding group of people cheered once more, and Chris continued with, "We've got plenty of exciting activities, including meeting Professor Oak, catching theory and practice, and, most importantly, the results of the personality tests!"

He pushed the doors open further, and was nearly bowled over by the incoming tide of people barging their way past him and into the school. Security guards verified their tickets, and after just a few short minutes, the school was packed once again.

"I've heard Professor Oak is sooo cool!" Copper whispered to Blake excitedly, sitting down before him in what appeared to be the same seat as yesterday, again with Luna on her lap.

"But what happened to that Professor Elm guy?" Blake queried, sounding concerned.

"Uh-uh" Copper grunted half-heartedly in response, with a feeble shrug.

"Our analysts were up all night judging your personality tests!" Chris explained from the front of the hall, "And that's why we took so long. We'd only finished like an hour ago!"

He paused for applause, which smattered politely, and continued.

"So, umm…" Chris hesitated, evidently disheartened by the less than stellar response, "Without any further ado, let me introduce you to one of the world's utmost authorities on pokémon. He has taken time out of his busy schedule to help us out here at pokeX! Here he is, the one, the only, Professor Oak!"

And Chris bowed out to a much more enthusiastic bout of applause, to be replaced by an older, slender figure.

"Greetings" the figure spoke, raising a hand to instantly halt the applause, "I am Professor Oak, and I will educating you all on the wondrous pokémon that inhabit our world"

Oak placed both hands behind his back in a pensive stance, and carried on.

"Now, I can imagine that most of you know will know what pokémon are" he stated, "But do any of you actually _own_ a pokémon as of yet?"

A few hands rose nervously into the air, and Copper felt the need to force Blake's arm skywards, because he too had a pokémon, which he seemed reluctant to admit for some reason...

"Interesting…" Oak mused, "And how did these pokémon enter your lives?"

He stared at each of the people who had raised their hands in turn, absorbing their answers unblinkingly. It seemed as though most of them had been given their precious pokémon by a friend or family member, with a couple admitting to having won theirs as prizes, and some of them were already experienced trainers who simply wanted more. But then it was Blake's turn. He clammed up the instant Oak's eyes made contact with his, but nevertheless, he tried his best to answer.

"I, umm…" he hesitated nervously, "I… found her"

And then Copper gasped, noticing Oak's eyes flash dangerously. Of all the responses, his was the only one to trigger any reaction at all.

"…found?"

"Umm… yes?" Blake mumbled timidly, sounding nothing short of petrified. The mere look on his face… it was as if he wanted to bury his head in the sand, and hope everyone would simply _stop looking at him…_

"May I see?" Oak requested, although both Blake and Copper knew that replying with a 'no' would've ended badly…

Hanging his head and conceding defeat, he clambered to his feet and retrieved Luna from Copper's lap, before staggering down the set of stairs and slowly approaching Oak at the central stage. He shakily allowed Oak to hold Luna, and the professor responded by examining her thoroughly.

"Please explain how you 'found' her?" Oak asked him slowly, with a hint of mistrust to be heard emphasised on 'found'. Blake muttered something unintelligible, and the oil lamps surrounding the walls began to flicker strangely. The pair conversed for a little longer, but Copper nearly jumped from her seat watching Blake crash to the floor, quite literally breaking up. The guy barely ever showed even vague emotions, yet here he was, in pieces, because of her…

"Oh, Blake…" she mumbled, with her hands to her mouth, "I'm sooo sorry for putting you through this…"

Blake tearfully mumbled something else, which sparked a reaction from Luna, who wrestled herself free of Oak's grip and tried her best to console him, by pawing his thighs to show she cared. Blake's arms sprung forwards, and he hugged Luna tight, acting as though it was the last thing he'd ever do…

"You… truly love this Eevee, do you not?" Oak asked Blake gently, who responded with a gentle nod.

"And she means a lot to you?"

Blake murmured something else, and Oak crouched down next to him.

"What's her name?"

Blake lifted his head from Luna's shimmering fur, his devastated expression slowly morphing into a bemused one, and eventually managed to muster, "…Luna"

Oak's knees cracked as he stood up again, and mumbled a few things only Blake was to hear. However, one sentence was audible to Copper:

"Such a meeting" Oak mused, "It must have been fated…"

Fate…

Copper had heard that word used a few times recently, most notably from her mother just two days ago…

"Wait…" she muttered pensively, "D-does that mean…?!"

Blake managed to stagger back to his feet, and Oak concluded with "You two are lucky to have each other"

Copper nearly imploded from a sharp intake of breath, and Oak continued, "You are connected by more than just bonds of trust" he stated "Fate itself has pushed you together. May nothing tear you apart"

The crowd burst into applause, and Blake looked as though he was about to faint again.

"A trainer is not judged by their level of skill" Oak carried on, patting Blake on the shoulder, "Nor by how many pokémon they have, or even how they train their pokémon"

Putting his arms behind his back again, he finished with, "No, no. A trainer is judged by how they _treat_ their pokémon. Young Blake is a fine example of this. His Eevee means the world to him, and that is the attitude I _expect_ from all of you!"

The crowd fell deathly silent once again, and Blake seized the opportunity to stagger back to his seat, still looking extremely shaken.

"Man, that was totally scary!" Copper whispered, watching him clamber back into the seat next to her, "You pretty much fell apart down there!"

"It was… horrible" he muttered in reply. But that's where the conversation stopped, because Oak was still talking, and thus still commanding attention.

"Pokémon are not 'underlings' or 'subordinates'", Oak said disdainfully, "They are friends. And nothing less. Anyone who disagrees is free to leave"

He pointed to one of the room's many exits, but not a soul moved.

"Good" Oak carried on, placing the hand behind his back once again, and pacing slowly, "Now, you may believe that the trainer chooses their pokémon… but this is rarely true"

A murmur of confusion rifled through the audience, and Oak explained himself.

"How many of you have encountered pokémon in the wild?" he asked, and waited patiently for the same dozen or so hands to be raised nervously into the air, Blake's again being one of them.

"Now, consider this" Oak contiued, "Out of the countless pokémon…

* * *

><p><strong>Thought I'd skip the bulk of Oak's lecture, as even I think it's not the most exciting read. You guys lemme know if you want it back in?<strong>

* * *

><p>Some time later…<p>

"Rayne Wyre"

"Oh, OH!" Copper cried, leaping from her seat and startling Luna, who was previously resting comfortably in Blake's lap "That's meeee!" she exclaimed, waving goodbye to the pair and stumbling down the many steps to the central platform.

"Heh, you're excited" Chris mumbled to her with a smirk, "please head to room 7B down the hall"

He then pointed her towards one of the many doors down the hallway.

"Thanks!" Copper cried, receiving her questionnaire back from him, before clambering towards the door in question and closing it behind her.

"Ooh, I'm gonna catch me a _pokémon!"_ she cried ecstatically, then turned around and observed the room she had just entered.

"Wooooooow…" she gasped, raising her hands to her mouth and gawking at the room. Dozens of trees and plants had been strategically arranged, giving the room a very serene ambience.

"So pretty…" Copper sighed, stopping to sniff one of the flowers that was growing from a pot plant.

"Glad you like it!" A voice called, startling her and inducing a sharp gasp. Copper spun around to confront the speaker, who was a young girl not a lot older than her, with long, straight brown hair and a clipboard in her hands.

"And you are?" she smiled, raising a pen to her clipboard.

"Ohh!" Copper gasped with relief, clutching her chest, "R-Rayne! Wyre!"

"Wyre…" the young lady finished, scribbling onto her clipboard and noticing the ticket Copper had clenched in her hand, "Looks like you'll have to wait a while for the rest of the group to arrive, honey…"

"Aww…" Copper moaned, but the complaint had barely escaped her lips when a second trainer, a young male, emerged through the door, equally stunned, "Morning sweetie!" the young lady greeted the boy, startling him as well "And your name would be?"

"Oh man…" Copper sighed, taking a seat next to the one person who had arrived before her, a younger raven-haired girl, and waiting. She became bored pretty much instantly, but with little choice but to watch the others arrive, she forced herself to be patient. It turned out that the first boy was named Adrian Lynch, who was shortly followed by a second, named Michael Davies. This process repeated itself, with males outnumbering females by a slight margin, until there was _at least_ thirty people in the room!

"And that's number thirty five…" the young lady mumbled to her clipboard after some time had passed, "Right, that's everyone!" she continued, placing her clipboard down and waiting for the last entrant, a girl with blonde pigtails, to take a seat before greeting them all.

"Good morning everyone!" she exclaimed cheerfully, "Welcome to the catching section of your PokeXperience! My name is Penelope, and I'm here to officiate your session!"

A burst of applause roused Copper from her semi-conscious daze, and she joined in enthusiastically, just catching the latter end of the applause before it petered out.

"Now, I bet you're wondering why there's such a substantial role…" Penelope ventured. A few murmurs of agreement escaped the crowds, and she continued.

"I was a little surprised myself, to be honest" she remarked," I don't think we're _ever_ had _this_ many…"

"Uh-oh…" Copper surmised, concern flashing across hers and a few others' faces, "Does that mean… there won't be enough?"

And her fears were realised almost immediately afterwards.

"Sadly, we have quite a shortage of pokémon" Penelope mumbled almost apologetically, gesturing to the large, noisy crate near the back of the room, "Not to mention that there are too many of you to organise rentals…"

The crowd began to get disruptive, with a fair few 'negative' responses being uttered, one of which was so foul that Copper had to gasp and block her ears!

"But no need to panic!" Penelope exclaimed, forestalling any further disdain, "We'll just have to… improvise, that's all!"

"Im… provise?" Copper mumbled confusedly, a notion that was echoed throughout most of the rest of the group, "What does she mean by that…?"

"Instead of the usual, time consuming method where one person faces one pokémon, and so forth…" Penelope began to explain, walking slowly towards the crate, "They will all be released at once! Poké balls at the ready!"

"Wait, what?!" Copper cried, fumbling for one of her shiny new poké balls out of the modest supply in her bag, with no time to spare!

"The best of luck to you all!" Penelope exclaimed, "And remember; it's not you who chooses the pokémon, it's the _pokémon _that chooses _you!_"

She operated the enormous winch that controlled the door on the crate, leaving it to swing open. And out of it flew all manner of bird pokémon!

"Don't hold back, kids!" Penelope advised excitedly, "You snooze, you lose! Give it all you've got!"

And the multitudes of birds took cover in the trees, making reasonable efforts to hide amongst them, and thus adding to the indication the pokémon 'shortage' was pre-planned, from Copper's point of view.

"B-but how do we weaken them?" The girl with pigtails asked nervously.

"Just chase them and tire them out, sweetie!" Penelope explained to her with stifled laughter, "Don't worry, they won't harm you!"

And the chase began. In varying attempts to exhaust the myriad of bird pokémon, the majority of the wannabe trainers took up the chase, valiantly pursuing them in spite of the birds' superior grace and ability to navigate the arboreal obstacles in the room. Perhaps they were spurred by the competition…

However, a select few trainers had taken a different approach; Copper being one of them.

Stealth.

"Wait for it…" she muttered under her breath, biding her time amidst a conveniently placed hedge. Although she was anything but patient, she had convinced herself that this was her best chance of making a successful catch; by letting the other trainers tire the pokémon out, and taking advantage of the situation.

"Heh heh, I'm so smart…" she mumbled from her hedge, evidently pleased with herself. She then nearly exclaimed with anticipation as a small Natu perched itself on a branch just in front of her!

"Ah-HA!" she cried, bursting from her bush, poké ball raised. But she realised the error of her ways soon afterwards, for the Natu noticed her and fled!

"Dammit…" Copper cried exasperatedly, venturing back into the hedge - with noticeable reluctance - to prepare another 'stakeout'.

Her second attempt didn't go so well, either. Although she'd learned from her previous mistake, and managed to confront the pokémon without making too much noise, the nimble Doduo took off like a rocket, bowling her over in the process!

"Argh…" A dazed Copper mumbled, before slowly dragging herself back to her feet and massaging the footprint shaped bruise on her upper arm, "This is getting annoying…"

After a few more failed attempts, with a Delibird first, followed by a Swablu, and then what appeared to be the same Natu as earlier, she was starting to lose hope.

"Aw man, I'm not gonna catch one at this rate!" She cried in dejected exclamation, staring longingly at a distant Murkrow just as it succumbed to sheer exhaustion, and enabled itself to be captured. It was time for extreme measures.

"Gotcha!" she cried, bursting from the bush and haphazardly wrapping her arms around an unsuspecting Chatot, which predictably went berserk, squawking madly and running off, dragging her with it!

A series of painful traversions led to the Chatot finally dislodging itself from Copper upon passing through a particularly thorny shrub. Copper ground to a stop underneath it, limbs sprawled out at awkward angles, clothes dirty, with the occasional tear, and even a few skin cuts.

The Chatot turned back to face Copper, and released an excruciatingly loud scream of anguish, to communicate both its fatigue and frustration, not even heeding the incoming danger from behind it!

A confused squawk had the Chatot sealed inside of a poké ball, which was then retrieved by its new owner!

"Hey, thanks Miss!" A young boy with brown hair exclaimed cheerfully to Copper, whose eyes were now shining with tears behind her askew glasses, "You distracting that Chatot let me catch it!"

"Aww?!" she sniffed, almost in pieces, yet poké ball still in hand, "I was _so close!"_

But this was no time to get emotional, as there were only a few pokémon left to catch!

"That's IT!" Copper cried, overcome with an unprecedented surge of energy, "I'm goin' Beast Mode!"

Dipping two fingers into the mud that was just beneath her, she painted it across either cheek, just below her eyes, whispered "Come at me…" and waited.

She now knew what she was missing; help.

The brown haired boy would've likely failed to catch that Chatot, were it not for her 'distraction', so she now knew the perfect moment to strike. War paint at the ready, and hair pretty much on end thanks to the Chatot assault, she surveyed the pair of webbed feet that scrambled towards her, with a trainer in hot pursuit! Now was her chance!

"Yaaaaaah!" she screamed, diving out of the bush and barring the pokémon's path, "Poké ball, g-_**no?!"**_

That heartbroken squeal tore through the mild serenity of the room like a bullet through the temple, rendering it silent almost instantly.

For she was half a second too slow.

Glinting in the light, another poké ball, thrown by the pursuant trainer, had just ensnared the pokémon that Copper had gone to all the trouble of trapping…

The capsule fell to the ground with a soft bounce and twitched gently. Then, as if it were in phase with her heartbeat, it slowly rolled…

Once…

Twice…

Three times…

"No, no no no!" Copper could scarcely whisper, refusing to concede defeat against the seemingly inevitable. The poké ball twitched, and wriggled, and…

_Split open?!_

A bright flash of light had the pokémon known as Ducklett grace the room once again, looking utterly perplexed. Inhaling with an almighty gasp, the stunned Copper just about mustered the energy to once again manipulate the poké ball in her hand.

"G-g-gah?!" she spluttered, beyond words. The capsule left her grasp and tumbled towards the Ducklett, which was once again bathed in crimson light. Copper watched with bated breath as her capsule bounced onto the ground, jerking with the energy contained inside of it.

Once.

Twice..

Three times…

'Toing!'

The little red light in between the capsule's two hemispheres gently faded away, and Copper just stood there, transfixed.

"I…I…" she murmured, barely able to believe it, "I… I caught a pokémon!"

With another ecstatic squeal, she grabbed the capsule off of the ground and released its contents, just to make sure!

"Wuck?" The Ducklett quacked confusedly, wondering what the hell was going on. Its confusion grew to even greater heights when Copper assailed it, practically smothering the thing!

"Oh my gosh, you're so cute!" she squealed, hugging the little duck, "I'm gonna love you forever and ever and-"

But then something else caught her attention.

"So… close…" the pursuant trainer from earlier muttered dejectedly, falling to his knees in dishevelled defeat. Fighting furiously to hold back tears, he sprawled out on the ground into an indistinct lump of self-loathing, finally losing the battle with his vibrant dignity, which had wrestled its way out of his eyes and down his face, dropping gently onto the floor…

"Ohh…" Copper gushed sympathetically, placing her Ducklett on the ground and kneeling down beside him, "Oh, I'm so sorry…"

"D-don't be" the young boy sniffed, trying and failing to gather what remained of his dignity, "Y-you won. Fair and square…"

"Aww you poor thing…" Copper mumbled, her eyes also shining as she hugged him, "I'd say it was more luck than anything…"

"Y-you heard Oak" the boy countered softly, "And that lady over there. They both said the same thing; it's the _pokémon_ that chooses the _trainer_. And this one chose you, n-not me…"

"Aww…" Copper soothed, holding his head to her chest, while even the Ducklett looked sympathetic. And an idea struck her, in true 'Copper' fashion.

"Heyyy…" she mused, "What's your name?"

"…Daniel?" the boy queried, mystified, "W-why?"

"Well, my Ducklett needs a nickname" Copper explained, "And you need cheering up. So I was wondering if-"

"I-if you could cheer me up by naming your Ducklett after me, and kill two birds with one stone?" Daniel interjected, seeming to know what she was thinking.

"Hey, yeah!" Copper gasped, surprised, "H-how'd you guess?"

"Heh, it was kinda obvious" Daniel replied, managing a weak chuckle, "Thanks for asking, though. Just one problem…"

"Hunh? What's that? Copper queried, now concerned.

"I think it's a girl…" Daniel mumbled, pointing to one blatant indicator.

"Oh…" Copper muttered, a sweat drop forming on both of their foreheads as she realised that Daniel was right. And before long, the pair burst out laughing.

"H-h-how could I miss that!?" Copper roared, straining to breathe.

"I… dunno!" Daniel gasped, banging his fist against a nearby tree, "But you c-can't have a female Ducklett named Daniel, that's for sure!"

* * *

><p>"Well, how about Danni?" Copper suggested, after they'd eventually calmed down, "Female, yet still a nice reminder of the one who helped me catch it"<p>

"W-wow, that's actually pretty cool…" Daniel agreed, "I'd… yeah, I'd like that"

"OK, it's settled!" Copped cried, "Whaddya think, Danni?" she added, picking up her Ducklett. Danni gave a quack of approval, and her name was set in stone.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'!" Copper giggled, hugging her little blue duck and standing up, "So glad to have you, Danni!"

She returned Danni the Ducklett to her poké ball, and Daniel stood up next to her, "Hey, while we're here… what's your name?"

"_My_ name?" Copper asked, stunned. People didn't normally ask her this.

"Heh, just call me Copper!" she continued, winking, "Everybody does!"

"OK then!" Daniel laughed, understanding, "Thanks… Copper. I feel so much better now!"

And the pair walked back towards the main crowd, most of whom were watching an older trainer pressure the final pokémon, a mighty Skarmory, into a blue and yellow Ultra Ball. The capsule eventually clicked shut, and applause greeted its owner, who wiped his nervous brow victoriously.

"Magnificent work, Steven!" Penelope clapped, patting the grey-haired trainer on the shoulder, "An amazing effort across the board! You should all be proud, even if you didn't catch a pokémon!"  
>A few people shuffled ashamedly, and Penelope addressed them all once again.<p>

"So, are there any questions before we go back?"

"There's another room for this type, right?" Daniel asked, "What kinda things would we have seen in the other room?"

"Ooh, very intuitive!" Penelope beamed at him, "Well, most of the rooms were divided based on the anticipated skill levels of the trainers, according to their survey results…"

Copper's face fell slightly at this notion, noticing that, aside from the Skarmory, nearly all of the pokémon in this room were simple, even _basic_ pokémon.

Aww man…" she sighed, "Uncle Morty'll never let me live this one down…"

"However!" Penelope continued, grabbing the audience's attention once again, "The Flying-type works a little differently to the others!"

Confusion spurred through most of the crowd, and Penelope carried on explaining.

"The Flying-type was split into two categories; bird, and pseudo-avian. In the other room, you would've encountered things that were Flying-types, but not birds. Pokémon like Tropius and Zubat, for example"

Disdain rippled through the crowd, like a stone being thrown into a previously calm lake. Clearly they thought their simple birds would be considered inferior to a 'pseudo-avian' Flying-type such as Tropius.

"But don't sell yourselves short, people!" Penelope reassured the doubtful, "Standard birds are in no way worse off than pseudo-avians! They're just more… rounded, that's all!"

"Ohh!" Copper exclaimed, realising, "I put that answer in the questionnaire… thingy!"

"Well noticed!" Penelope commended her "As did most of the rest of you, am I correct?"

Several murmurs of agreement echoed through the crowd, including Daniel, and Penelope finished up.

"The Water-type was also split up in a similar manner" she announced, "Into 'fish' and 'land based'. Anyway, I think it's time we head back, don't you all?"

Cheering erupted from the small group, and Penelope opened the door to allow everyone back out into the main room, where about half of the audience had already returned.

"Well, I'll seeya 'round, Copper!" Daniel cried, splitting from the group and sitting next to a girl who looked as though she could've been his sister.

"Bye Daniel!" Copper giggled, stumbling up the stairs and back to her own seat, where there was no Blake in sight.

"Aw, not here yet?" she remarked, sitting down and preparing for a long wait, "Heh, he's gonna be _so_ happy to see you, Danni!" she cooed, staring lovingly at her shiny new poké ball.

Luckily for Copper's patience, however, it wasn't long before:

"Hey there" Blake called, emerging from the crowd and sitting next to her, "You catch something?"

"You bet!" Copper cried, hugging her poké ball excitedly, "I love her! She's so cute!"

"That questionnaire was pretty accurate, huh?" Blake remarked

"Uh-huh" Copper nodded, "I feel sorry for my group, though. Thirty five people, and only twenty five pokémon available. I was lucky to catch something!"

"Ouch. That's gotta suck" Blake muttered, "So, what'd you catch?"

"Oh, she's so cute!" Copper squealed again, "Cutest little-"

"Hey everyone!" Chris the presenter announced, walking onto the stage and stopping Copper mid-sentence, "Congrats to everyone who caught a pokémon!"

About two-thirds of the crowd erupted with cheering, while most of the remaining third applauded respectfully. Some members just sat there looking sullen.

"For those of you who didn't…" Chris continued, in a more sombre tone, "I'm truly sorry. But at least you've gained some knowledge from this, huh?"

There was some muttering of unenthusiastic agreement from the members who hadn't caught anything.

"Ah well. I tried" Chris shrugged, disheartened, "Well, that's it, folks! I hope you enjoyed PokeX! We'll be back in Johto in another three months, in Olivine City! Hope to see you there!"

Chris bowed to polite applause, and left the stage so that the audience could make their own way out.

"So, what'd you catch?" Blake asked Copper again as she clambered past him.

"Oh yeah, I haven't told you yet, huh?" Copper cried, "She's so _cute!_"

"Yup. You've said" He laughed at her enunciation.

"I'll show you!" Copper squealed, grabbing her capsule once again, "I caught a – holy crap, is that the time!?"

Copper stashed the poké ball back in her pocket after noticing the time on her watch and yelled, "I gotta get home! I promised Mom I'd wash the dishes!"

"Wait!" Blake called after her. But it fell on deaf ears.

"I'll seeya another time, Blake!" Copper cried, charging up the steps and out of the building.

"Gotta get home…" she puffed, navigating Violet City's cobblestone roads in the receding daylight before knocking manically on her front door.

"Aww, c'mon Mom…" she complained, shivering, "It's cold out here!"

The door's multiple locks were eventually unbolted, and it slowly swung open, revealing an exasperated Thana.

"Late again I see, Rayne…" she sighed, moving to allow her daughter entrance into the house.

"Hey, it only just ended, Mom!" Copper retorted, "Ring 'em and find out if you don't believe me!"

And Thana stared at her daughter for a few moments, who stared right back, refusing to give an inch.

"…alright" Thana conceded. Evidently Copper had passed the Maternal Polygraph Test, "What'd you catch…?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Copper cried, eyes lighting up, "She's sooo cute!"

Fumbling in her pocket for Danni's poké ball once again, she released her pokémon with a flourish.

"Mom, meet Danni!" she announced, allowing the little blue duck to waddle up towards Thana, who eyed her nervously.

"Uhh, is it house broken?" Thana queried, cautiously bending down to pet Danni atop the head.

"Umm…" Copper hesitated, "Not sure. But we're gonna be training outside like, all the time, so-"

"Hah, a Ducklett?" Morty's voice interrupted from the lounge and startling her, "Goofy looking, uncoordinated, wet behind the ears… just like its owner" he added teasingly.

"Argh, Uncle Morty?!" Copper cried, before whispering "Why's he still here?" to her mother.

"I can't get him to leave…" Thana sighed, "Morty, you need to be more respectful towards your niece!"

"Hey, can't I have an opinion?!" Morty retorted, still teasingly.

"Course you can" Thana replied, "Yours is just stupid!"

"Prove me wrong, sis!" Morty challenged, "I'll take it all back if that duck does somethin' useful!"  
>Thana and Copper both exchanged a glance, evidently forming a tacit agreement.<p>

"You heard him, Danni…" Copper giggled, a smile breaking across her face "Get him outta here!"

"Wuck!" Danni quacked, suddenly going crazy and chasing Morty out of the house like a duck possessed!

"Yaaagh!" Morty cried, running as fast as his legs could carry him, "OK, OK, I take it baaaaack…!"

Morty ran off into the distance, and Danni returned shortly afterwards, looking pleased with herself.

"Heh, that showed him…" Copper chuckled, before kneeling down to stroke Danni's feathers, "Who's a good lil' ducky!?"

"Hah, I like it already" Thana mused approvingly, "It got Morty outta the house, and I've been trying to do that all day!"

"I know, isn't she awesome?" Copper cried, hugging Danni, "Oh, and Mom?"

"Yeah honey?" Thana replied, closing the door and its many locks.

"I just wanted to say thanks…" Copper mumbled gratefully, before looking up to her mother with sincere adoration,

_"For believing in me…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Well, the 'Copper's PokeXperience' arc is finally over. What're your guys' thoughts on it as a whole? I rather enjoyed writing it, even if this one was the last to be written, out of all the 'Missing Chapters'.<strong>

**Sadly, though, this is also the last of the Missing Chapters with a happy ending...**


	7. Fee's Trip To The Doctor's

**Fee's trip to the doctor's**

***knock knock***

***knock knock***

"Ungh..." Fee grunted, stirring sleepily on her couch, "W-who's there...?"

Argus barked alarmingly at the sound of intruders, when a voice came from the other side of the door.

"Felicity? Are you there, lass?"

Argus barked some more, warning the voice, but Fee's weakly outstretched hand was enough to quiet him down.

"It's OK... b-oy!" she coughed, reassuring a defensive Argus "C-come on in, Ar-THUR. Door's... O-pen!"

The door handle twisted shakily, and Arthur shuffled into the room, looking worried.

"A-Are you ready to go, lass?" he queried, noticing her in her dishevelled state.

"Wh-what time... is it?" Fee rasped, somehow mustering up the strength to sit up on her couch.

"One o'clock, lass" Arthur chirped, "I wanted to make sure we'd get there in time"

"G-good think...ing..." Fee choked, staggering to her feet, "C-c'mon Argy..."

Argus followed orders, and trotted after his master, who slowly stumbled towards the concerned Arthur.

"OK, lass..." Arthur remarked, "Let's take it nice and slow. Take as much time as you need..."

"Thhhhhanks, Ar-thur..." Fee rasped, "You've be-en such a good friend to me since d-ad... left..."

"Ohh, you're the best helper we've ever had at the Day Care!" Arthur chirped, "It only seems fair that I return the favour in any way I can, lass!"

"Awwww..." Fee sighed happily, which escalated into a cough, "K-k-keys..."

"These ones?" Arthur ventured, grabbing the keys that her frail hand was slowly stretching towards, and then handing them to her.

"Yup..." she replied slowly, stumbling out of the house after him, "...thanks..."

The door gently clicked shut, and Fee fumbled through the half-dozen keys for the appropriate one. After an age of drowsy negotiating, the little bronze key eventually slipped into the lock, and twisted into place.

"Well done, lass..." Arthur mumbled, extending an arm out so that Fee could hold it.

"It's only lock-ing the DOor..." Fee coughed, stowing the keys in her jeans pocket and holding onto Arthur's arm, so that she wouldn't fall. Although she didn't want to admit to it, each and every task, however simple, was currently fiendishly difficult.

"I know, I know..." Arthur sympathised, taking a step forwards, and watching her do the same.

"That's it... slowly now..." he encouraged, "How do you feel?"

"Like I've j-ust bEEn mum-m-mified..." Fee tried to chuckle, which only ended up as more coughing, "Everything... hurts..."

"Ohh, I know _that_ feeling, lass..." Arthur soothed, and they slowly progressed through Goldenrod's town centre, one step at a time, inching ever closer to the hospital on the other side of town, which, inevitably, attracted a lot of unneeded attention.

"Felicity?" A passer-by asked concernedly, "Are... are you OK?"

"Just... sick, M-m-mrs Jenkins!" Fee gasped, "Th-thanks for asking..."

This process repeated itself, with multiple people asking her 'what's wrong?' on their slow journey north, which only aggravated Fee's symptoms, for she was far too polite to not thank people for their concern. It quickly became tedious, because basically everyone in town seemed to know Fee.

"Look, she's sick, OK?!" Arthur eventually cried in exasperation, finally snapping after the_ twenty third_ person asked her if she was OK, "And every time you asked her if she's OK, she has to stop and answer you, which only makes her sicker. You want to help the lass? Then please, just let us pass! OK?"

The people finally got the hint, and backed off, allowing them passage.

"Thank you..." Fee puffed, stopping to catch her breath, which was painfully shallow and raspy, "I... I coul-N't ju-st ask them to gO aw-ayy... y'know?"

"Ohh, I know, lass..." Arthur soothed, patting her on the arm, "Need a quick rest?" he added, pointing to a bench outside the train station.

N-no, I'll be... fine!" she gasped, clutching her chest with her free hand, "Got-ta... keep...going..."

"If you're sure..." Arthur mumbled concernedly, "We're about halfway there, lass"

And the crept further north, slowly passing notable buildings, such as Luciano's pizzeria, the gym, the letting agency and the flower store. Luckily, the weather was overcast, meaning Fee wouldn't have to suffer the wrath of the midday sun, for she was in enough pain already. Her limbs were on fire, feeling as though they'd been wrapped in several layers of bandages, thus limiting her movement. Her chest was tight, impairing her breathing, which of course exacerbated her speech. Her eyes stung, her nose was red and swollen, she was constantly tired, and she had a mighty headache, but still she refused to let this illness get the better of her, slowly trudging forwards, until the enormous, dome-shaped structure that was the hospital _finally_ crept into view.

"Almost there, lass..." Arthur reassured Fee with a pat on the arm, "Just a little longer..."

And the pair crept towards the hospital, reaching the complex with minutes to spare and approaching the receptionist's desk.

"Hi there" she mumbled half-heartedly, before looking up mid-sentence, "Do you have an app- oh, gosh..."

"She's your Two O'clock, kiddo" Arthur explained, pointing to the clock on the wall, which had barely a minute to spare.

"Ohh, good timing!" the receptionist chirped, now surprisingly peppy, "Down the hallway, third door on the right"

"You... go home, Ar-thur..." Fee mumbled, reluctantly withdrawing Argus back into his poke ball "I could BE he-re a whi-le..."

"A-Are you sure, lass?" Arthur queried, walking her to the door.

"Yup..." Fee replied weakly, "I'll... I'll be fine... I'm su-re..."

"And... and if you're not, lass?" Arthur questioned, evidently concerned.

"...then I'll need some-one to tell BLake where I am, so it might as well b-e you... 'cause wh-when he gets back, and r-r-realises I'm not hOMe, your door'll be the fir-s-st he's gon-na break down loo-king for m-m-me... heh..."

"If you're absolutely sure, lass..." Arthur reluctantly agreed, and slowly walked back down the hallway, still uncertain.

"Th-thanks..." Fee rasped, gently twisting the handle and shuffling into the room, where a blonde doctor was patiently awaiting her arrival.

"Good afternoon!" he greeted her cheerfully, "And you would be Felicity Nyx, I presume?"

Fee nodded slowly, stumbling across the floor of the cramped room.

"Whoa, careful there!" the blonde doctor exclaimed, jumping to his feet and catching her before she could cause herself more injury, "Sit yourself down, Miss Nyx..."

"O...K..." Fee coughed, forcing her unwilling joints into the right position so that she could sit on the examination bed.

"So... clearly your balance is off..." the doctor muttered, scribbling down on a clipboard, "Just a sec..."

He walked back over to his desk, and pushed a button to activate the intercom.

"Annie, could you cancel my 2:30, please?" he spoke into the intercom.

"Sure thing, Dr Taber" the receptionist's voice crackled back.

"Thanks, Annie" the doctor replied, closing the link and turning back to Fee, "Right, let's get started"

"Am I... that bad?" Fee mumbled, hanging her head.

"Just...being safe" Dr Taber reasoned, "Y'know, I have a daughter who's about your age..."

'_Huh? Why'd he tell me that?' _Fee thought worriedly, _'Was he trying to lighten the mood to stop me worrying about something more sinister?'_

"Just relax, OK?" Dr Taber instructed, extracting a stethoscope from around his shoulders.

"O-keydokey..." Fee gasped softly, feeling the cold pressure of the stethoscope on her chest, and trying her damnedest to relax.

"Heart rate seems... normal?" Dr Taber queried, frowning.

"Is that... b-ad?" Fee coughed.

"Not necessarily _bad_" Dr Taber explained, "Just... _unusual_, for a case such as yours, Miss Nyx"

"Please..." she mumbled in reply, "Call me Fee... I hate for-m-malities..."

"...OK, Miss... Fee" Dr Taber laughed nervously, removing his stethoscope, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'll need a sample of your blood..."

"O...K?" Fee questioned, surrendering her left arm so that Dr Taber could draw blood.

"Well, you clearly have respiratory troubles" Dr Taber began to explain, noticing Fee's perplexed expression, "But your heart isn't compensating for the lack of oxygen, which is strange..."

"...oh..." Fee muttered, looking away and wincing as the evil needle extracted precious blood from her body, "Eugh, nee-dles..."

"Long story short, your heart should be working overtime, but it isn't..." Dr Taber carried on explaining, applying a bandage to the crook of Fee's elbow, from where he'd drawn blood, "So when the problem points to the circulatory system, we take some of it and have a look, see if that can give us a clearer picture. Make sense?"

"G-Guess so..." Fee shivered, now feeling faint and reclining on the examination bed, "S-so you're... gonna lo-ok at my blood, see what's wr-r-rong with me?"

"Pretty much" Dr Taber remarked, "Back in just a minute!"

Carrying the vial of Fee's blood, he swiftly left the room, leaving her alone with only her thoughts to keep her company.

'_I saw the look on that doctor's face when he left the room...' _Her mind hummed, _'Something's seriously wrong with me...'_

'_It can't be that bad... right? _Her heart pumped, trying to inspire some hope.

'_Hello? He cancelled his next appointment to try and find out what's wrong!' _Her mind retorted, _'Face it, I'm screwed...'_

***sigh...*** _'I wish Blake were here' _her heart pumped, _'Even if he can't fix me, I'd be happy if he were just... here'_

'_Amen to that' _her mind agreed, and next thing Fee knew, Dr Taber was back.

"Heya! Sorry I took so long!" He apologised, approaching her once again.

"Do-n't be..." Fee rasped, straining to sit up again.

"Ohh, no need to sit up just yet..." Dr Taber instructed, stopping her, "It'll be a little while before we get the results of the blood test, so I'll need to conduct a few more tests on you while we wait, if that's OK?"

"Y-you're the doc..." Fee coughed in agreement.

"Good good..." Dr Taber muttered, "Would you mind lifting your shirt, please?"

"O...K...? Fee conceded, wearily lowering her hands down to her waist, and then slowly lifting her shirt to expose her navel.

"Sorry... would you prefer it if a female doctor performed these tests?" Dr Taber ventured, misreading the pain on her face as embarrassment.

"Naah, I'm... f-fine..." she coughed, "Just... hurts"

"Ohh... sorry..." Dr Taber apologised once again, pressing gently on her stomach, assumedly feeling for blockages and similar, "How's your diet?"

"N-normally pret-ty fine..." Fee rasped, "But I haven't k-kept any...thing down s-since catching t-this... thing..."

"Well, your digestive tract appears to be clear, so it can't be that..." Dr Taber mused pensively, "Could you sit up again, please?"

"S-s-sure!" Fee gasped, wrenching herself upright and dangling her legs over the edge of the examination bed.

"Now, I can tell you're in a lot of pain..." Dr Taber sympathised, watching her face contort with the immense effort needed just to sit up, "But is the pain focused in any specific place?"

"Umm... is Feli-city spe-cific enough?" she tried to chuckle, but only ended up coughing painfully again.

"Haha, I like how you've kept a sense of humour..." Dr Taber laughed, "I'll take that as... everywhere?"

"Heh, yup..."

And the tests continued, including the hammer test, an ophthalmoscope test, and looking down her throat.

"Hmm, no surprises here..." he muttered, examining the expectedly red raw lining of her throat, "Just one more test..."

"Okeydokey..." Fee rasped.

"Take a deep breath now..." Dr Taber instructed, placing his stethoscope on her back.

"OK, I'll... t-try" Fee choked, clutching her chest and inhaling as deeply as she could. However, her lungs were filled to barely half their usual capacity before she burst into a fit of vicious coughing.

"Umm... we're going to have to try again..." Dr Taber sympathised, "...sorry..."

"S-Sorry..." Fee spluttered, holding a hand to her mouth to try and limit the spread of germs, "B-but I th-think that's the b-best I can d-" she tried to carry on. But upon removing her hand, her eyes widened in fear, and Dr Taber noticed this.

"W-What's wrong?" he exclaimed, now worried.

"B-blood..." Fee whispered, staring petrified at the scarlet ultimatum that was now splattered messily over her hand.

"Oh dear..." Dr Taber muttered, "T-That's not good..."

"W-What's w-r-rong with m-ee!?" Fee spluttered, coughing up yet more blood and starting to feel faint...

"Need some help in here!" Dr Taber yelled out the door, and the last thing Fee knew was being surrounded by several other doctors and nurses, before her vision turned milky white...

'_Blake... where are you..?'_

* * *

><p>"How's she doing, Doctor? Any improvement?"<p>

"She's remained fairly stable, thankfully, but until we find out exactly _what_ is wrong with her, I'm afraid there isn't a whole lot we can do..."

'_Are they... are they talking about me?'_ Fee's thoughts echoed in her head. Her body was so tired that she couldn't even open her eyes right now. So she simply listened.

"Poor kid, having to suffer this. Such a pretty young thing, too..."

'_Naah, can't be me' _Fee thought, _'They must be talking about someone else. I'm not all that pretty...'_

'_Besides, I'm doing just fine... aren't I?'_

Feeling some sensation in her arm, she tried to move her fingertips, only to have a sharp jolt of pain force its way through her!

'_Owww!'_ She thought, wincing, _'That hurt! Why did that hurt?!'_

"Has she had any visitors?" the male voice asked, walking closer to her position.

"Plenty!" the female voice replied, "Basically the whole town seems to know the poor girl. But since they're not family..."

"Ahh, I see" the male voice mused, "Wait, _no one?_ No parents, siblings, creepy uncle, boyfriend... _no one?!_"

"Nope..." the female replied sombrely, "No one..."

"Well, who brought her in?" the male ventured, "There's no way she could've made it her on her own. Not in the condition she _was _in, forget now..."

"We're trying to track him down..." the female answered, "Poor lass... surely there's _someone_ out there who's worried about you?"

'_OK, just who are they talking about?!' _Fee thought, stirring, _'Guess I gotta find out myself... agh... it burns...'_

"Agh..." she mumbled, straining to open her eyes, which felt as though they'd been seared shut. A lot of white flooded her vision, and she blinked, multiple times, trying to adjust to the blinding white. Hazy figured slowly blurred into view, and she could eventually recognise her lower half.

"...huh?" she queried softly, staring down at her torso. This wasn't how she came in. Aside from the obvious white medical gown, she now sported several tubes, some of which were sticking out of fairly embarrassing places.

"W-What the?" Fee mumbled, now utterly confused. However, she must've spoken loud enough to attract attention, because next thing she knew:

"Oh gosh, she's awake!"

Fee forced her head to the right, and could just barely make out two figures in white rushing into the room.

"Miss Nyx!" a familiar voice cried, "You're OK!"

"What... happened?" Fee replied weakly, before noticing something auspicious; she could breathe again!

"You went into shock after coughing up blood" the familiar voice continued, revealing itself as Dr Taber's which spurred Fee's memory.

"...oh" she remarked slowly, cringing at the flashback, "H-how long-"

"Three days" Dr Taber replied, "We had to drain your lungs of the fluid that had built up inside of them. You coughing up blood gave us the hint we needed"

"...Okeydokey..." Fee muttered softly, dropping her exhausted head back onto the pillow "Wait, w-where's Argy?"

"Argy...?" Dr Taber muffled through his face mask, "Is that a... pokémon?"

"Yes, he's my Houndour!" Fee gasped, feeling her heart jump into her throat, "W-Where is he?!"

"On the table next to you" the female nurse reassured her bluntly, pointing to Argus' poke ball on the bedside table.

"Ohh..." Fee sighed, chuckling weakly, "H-have you guys been feeding him and stuff?"

The two physicians exchanged nervous looks, before Dr Taber finally replied with "...we can't. He doesn't trust us..."

"Ahh, I know the feeling..." Fee empathised, laughing nervously, "Umm... could I?"

"Sorry..." Dr Taber apologised, "But I'm afraid you can't either. You can't leave this room until we find out what's wrong with you"

"W-why not?" Fee asked, now concerned.

"Because you currently have no immune system" Dr Taber explained slowly. "Exposure to the outside will undoubtedly make you very sick, and because you have no immune system, you'll be unable to fight it off. Understand?"

"...yeah" Fee mumbled sadly, "Man, remove one problem, and more pop up. It's like the frickin' Hydra..."

"Yes indeed. You'd be surprised how often that happens in medicine" Dr Taber explained.

"I... I promised him I'd be safe..." Fee sniffed, eyes welling up with tears, "_Promised..."_

"_Are you sure you'll be OK by yourself?_

"_Yes, I'll be fine, don't worry!"_

"_Promise me you won't get hurt?"_

"_Promise is a strong word..."_

"_Promise__ me!"_

"_OK OK! I... I promise!"_

"_There's my girl. OK, I gotta get going. Remember, if you ever need me, just call, and I'll be there, OK?"_

"_OK then, will do. Love ya..."_

"Promised?" Dr Taber asked invasively, shattering Fee's flashback, "Promised whom? Someone important?"

"Uhh... s-so, who'll feed Argy?" Fee dodged, avoiding Dr Taber's blatant attempt at prying into her personal life, "We can't just leave him in there..."

"Is there... anyone we can contact for you?" Dr Taber suggested with a shrug, again pushing his boundaries, "Maybe they can look after... Argy... while we look after you?"

"M-my boss, Arthur Crawford..." Fee mumbled, "He owns the Day-Care on Route 37..."

"I... I was hoping more for a family member, perhaps?" Dr Taber asked hesitantly, unaware that he was touching a nerve here.

"...No" Fee replied brusquely, holding back, "Arthur knows who to notify, should anything happen..."

"...OK" Dr Taber sighed, finally realising that he'd gone too far, and hung his head, "I'll... I'll just... go then..."

And he slowly left the room, leaving Fee alone with the nurse, who was pretty much silent, checking that all the machines surrounding her were functioning properly. Left with a whole lot of nothing to do, her thoughts took over once again:

'_I hope Argy's OK in there... he must be soooo hungry...'_

'_That damn doctor... he had to push it, didn't he?'_

'_I wonder where Blake is right now… Maybe I'll be fixed by the time he gets here, and we can start our journey together!'_

'_But wait... what if I'm not fixed in time, and... and he sees me like this?'_

'_That'd destroy him...'_

'_What if... what if I don't get fixed at all? I'd be breaking my promise...'_

'_Hang on, I can't think like that... I'd just spiral out of control...'_

'_...But I might not leave this hospital. That's a very real possibility...'_

'_Oh man... I'm such a disappointment...'_

And overcome with grief, Fee didn't even try to fight the flood of silent tears that were forcing themselves out of her. The nurse left the room without even noticing, and Fee was left in this state; physically frail, mentally exhausted, emotionally despaired, and worse of all... alone...

"W-w-where are you?" Fee mumbled dejectedly, hugging her pillow as the sole source of comfort in this pristine dungeon,

"_I... I need you..."_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: thankfully, this is the only one of the missing chapters with a sad 'ending'. It does, however, reveal a little about Fee's past, and for the more attentive readers, perhaps a slight insight into what happens in the final missing chapter…<strong>

**Any and all thoughts are widely appreciated. :3**


	8. The Final Piece Of The Puzzle

**The Final Piece Of The Puzzle**

**Cue the suspenseful music!**

*knock knock*

The door handle was gently twisted, granting her access to the room.

"...Dad?" Hailey mumbled, poking her head around the door, "Are you here? I've brought you some dinner..."

"Hunh?" Her dad muttered, jolting awake, "Ohh, hiya Hailey..." he yawned, "Heh, looks like I missed it again..."

"Yup" Hailey replied bluntly, carefully placing the bowl of cold stew on her father's desk, "Y'know, mum's starting to get pretty annoyed about all these late nights. It's like, almost midnight already..."

"Ohh, I'm sorry, hun..." Dr Taber sighed exasperatedly, "But... this case I'm working on. The girl in room twenty four needs around the clock supervision, and Neil's ill, so it's just Lucy and I..." he finished with another yawn.

"Wow, sounds like a really important case..." Hailey remarked, "Why's she need round the clock supervision? Couldn't you get Steve or another security guard to do it?"

"They wouldn't know what to do if she went into tachycardia..." Dr Taber explained, "And that could happen at any moment, given her condition"

"Condition?" Hailey stammered, "H-how bad?"

"She's in a coma, and we don't even know why..." Dr Taber mumbled, "Her boyfriend's doing all he can to find some miracle cure before we're forced to pull the plug..."

"Oh, wow..." Hailey sighed longingly, holding a hand to her chest, "Risking it all to save the one he loves. So romantic..."

"Yeah, quite amazing, huh?" Dr Taber agreed, "I have the utmost respect for the guy because of what he's doing. And you wanna know the worst part?"

"T-there's a _worse_ part?" Hailey stammered, taken aback.

"They're both _just kids..."_ Dr Taber explained, contemplating his stew, "Barely older than you, Hailey..."

"R-really?" Hailey gasped, "Ohh, that's so sad..."

"You think that's sad..." Dr Taber mumbled, "The boyfriend got here just in time to see her lose consciousness..."

"...Aww!" Hailey sniffed, a tear slipping from her eye, "...oh. Oh gosh..."

"You can... go see her, if you want?" Dr Taber suggested, trying the stew, "...actually, could you, please? I've decided I need some of this stew, heh..."

"Umm, a-are you sure, Dad?" Hailey asked hesitantly, "W-what if something bad happens?"

"I'll be there in just a moment, don't worry..." Dr Taber reassured her, chugging down half the bowl's contents, "Nothing'll happen, I'm positive. You know the security code, right?"

"OK then... if you're sure..." Hailey mumbled worriedly, leaving her dad's office, shuffling down the hallway past a sleeping Steve, and entering into the secure area.

However, all was not well inside. Upon reaching to punch in the security code to the door, she noticed that it was already unlocked...

"Hmm, that's strange..." Hailey muttered pensively, and was just considering turning back to alert her dad, when something moved in the next room!

With a quiet gasp, she slowly turned to face the intruder, a mysterious dark shadow. One who simply stood by the bed, unmoving...

"W-who're you?" she nervously asked the shadow, which flinched upon being addressed. Despite the darkness, Hailey could tell that the mysterious stranger had turned to face her; its featureless face was staring directly at her. But a noise in the background had Hailey distracted for just a second, and that second was all it took for the stranger to disappear...

"What... was that?" Hailey whispered, entering into the room after being fumigated, and looking around in utter confusion, "They just... vanished..."

Nothing in the room appeared to be out of place, but Hailey couldn't help but feel worried; after all, someone had just broken in...

"Nyx, 'Fee'..." Hailey mumbled, straining to read the chart at the bottom of the patient's bed, due to the darkness, and noticing that it originally read 'Felicity', but someone had crossed that name out, and scrawled 'Fee' above it, "Aww, you poor thing..."

She moved closer to inspect the bed's resident, whose peaceful expression was also, somehow, one of pure sadness. Her long hair, black as the night outside, draped beneath her like woven silk, whilst the serene complexion adorning her face had the smallest of smiles tugging at the corner of her lips. Her eyelids would flutter occasionally, as if they were detecting Hailey's presence, and one of her arms resting peacefully by her side, but the other had lazily stretched itself towards the window, as if subconsciously willing its host to escape...

"Y'know..." Dr Taber's voice echoed from outside, "Some of the staff have given young Felicity here a nickname; the 'Sleeping Angel'"

"...Angel?" Hailey muttered, forcing her previous concern to the back of her mind and instead resigning the bemusement, "But... she doesn't _look_ like an angel?"

"Heh, what does an angel look like, Hailey?" her father chuckled, entering the room.

"Umm..." Hailey stammered, unable to think of an answer. Although her mind was flooded with images of pretty girls with long, flowing blonde hair, white fluffy wings, and halos, those were the clichéd 'angels' she would see in unimaginative films and cartoons. After thinking about it, Hailey realised that her dad had a point; what _did_ an angel really look like?

"Heh, I thought not" Dr Taber carried on, "An angel isn't judged by their looks; but by their _actions_"

Hailey's expression solidified into one of tacit acknowledgement, and she listened to her father's continued praise for this mysterious young girl.

"I've researched this Felicity..." he stated, "It seems as though everything she does it for the benefit of someone else. She gives to charity, she helps total strangers, she works long hours at the Day Care on the other side of town just to help its two elderly owners and, above all, nearly everyone in town seems to know and love her. She may not look like your typical angel, Hailey, but if you ask me, I'd say we have one that's fallen from grace, right here in this room..."

"Whoa..." Hailey muttered with awe, watching her father trail off, "When you put it that way... I guess it makes a lotta sense..."

"I-I know, right?" Dr Taber replied, recovering, "Look here a sec?"

Hailey walked to where her father beckoned, only to notice that he was gesturing to... her hair?

"Look at her hair, and how it splays underneath her..." Dr Taber muttered, deep in thought, "Kinda looks like wings, doesn't it?"

"Hey, yeah... it sorta does!" Hailey exclaimed quietly, "So _that's_ why they call her 'sleeping angel'..."

"Yes indeed" Dr Taber responded, tapping one of the many monitoring machines to check that it was working properly, "Heh, you should've seen her the other day. There was this mirror, here on the bedside table, and the moon's light shining on it made it look like there was a-"

"H-hey dad?" Hailey hesitantly interrupted her dad, in an attempt to dispel the niggling feeling in the back of her mind "Does this Felicity girl have any family, by chance?"

"Nope..." Dr Taber replied slowly, "None that we've been able to track down, anyways. Her boss is her next of kin, and her boyfriend's off trying to find some radical way to save her life..." he added cryptically, "Why?"

"Oh, no reason..." Hailey lied convincingly, "I just think it's a little sad that she's here... alone..."

"I couldn't agree more, sweetie" Dr Taber concurred, hugging his daughter gratefully, "That's partly why I've been researching her. I'm trying to track down some- huh?"

A soft breeze interrupted Dr Taber's sentence, and he froze with a combination of fear and anger as he realised just where the breeze came from:

"_W-what's that window doing open?"_

"Wha?" Hailey exclaimed, spinning around and noticing it too, "Umm... maybe one of the cleaning staff left it open?"

"I'll have to have words with them..." her father growled furiously, "They could've killed her!"

"Huh?" Hailey gasped, "How?!"

"She currently has no immune system..." Dr Taber muttered, scanning her life supporting machines once again for signs of problems, "Any exposure to the outside could leave her with an infection that her body wouldn't be able to fight off..."

"Ohh..." Hailey mumbled, "Should... should we even be in here, then?"

"We were fumigated upon entering, so we're fine" he dad explained, checking the 'Sleeping Angel's pulse with his fore and index finger on her neck.

"Good, she seems stable..." he added, wiping his brow with relief after checking a few more machines, "That was really lucky. Could you close that window please, Hailey?"

"Sure thing, dad" Hailey replied, slowly walking over to the window sill.

"Thanks sweetie" Dr Taber remarked, "Well, it would seem that no harm has been done. I won't yell at the cleaning crew _this_ time..."

And Dr Taber left the clean room, once again leaving Hailey in there.

"'Sleeping Angel', huh?" she mused, looking pensively out into the night sky, "Maybe she really did fall from the heavens. It's such a clear night tonight that you can almost reach out and touch them..."

After illustrating this notion by stretching out her hand, Hailey reached up to close the window, and then walked away from it, exiting the clean room altogether and leaving the 'Sleeping Angel' to sleep in peace.

But she wasn't truly alone...

"Heh, angel huh?" A dark, gravelly voice uttered.

Pinned against the wall of the hospital was the mysterious shadow from earlier!

"How fitting..." he chuckled, "You really have become just like your mother..."

Reaching down, the mystery man picked up an item and placed it on the outside of the window sill – it was too dark to see what it was...

"A promise is a promise" he muttered, "You needed me, so here I am. Afraid I can't stay, though. There are still things that must be done..."

Pushing off against the wall of the hospital, he moved to walk away slowly. With one look over his shoulder, he finished with

"Happy Birthday, honey. I hope you like them..."

And the mystery man walked off into the night...

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Well, that's it, guys.<strong>

**Hope this one's as well received as the ones in the main story, because there's a LOT of important info in this chapter. The more attentive people here should be able to hazard a guess as to who the mysterious stranger is now...**

**Also, this chapter marks a rather important event; it also serves as as the prologue to the sequel.**

**Yup. That's right. Moonlight - A New Phase will be released sometime in the near future.**

**As for when that is... well, Moonlight itself has a rather important date coming up soon. ;)**

**Thank you all for bearing with me over the past eleven or so months. You've all been wonderful inspirations.**

**~Meep**


End file.
